Government has been urged to consider appropriate policy initiatives to regularise the exportation of labour to help ease the current unemployment situation.  

The Kumasi Metro Labour Officer, Martin Opoku Sekyere, who made the appeal, said the time has come for the government to negotiate bilateral agreements with other nations on labour export based on fair recruitment for the citizenry. 

This would help reduce the alarming graduate unemployment and also prevent recruitment agencies from taking advantage of the current situation to dupe unsuspecting people seeking to travel abroad to work. 

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Kumasi, Mr Sekyere said looking at the current direction of labour underutilisation, it would be appropriate for the government to look into the issues of labour exports holistically. 

He said the benefits of labour exports are well known and countries, which had adopted those measures are reaping huge benefits and improving the living conditions of their people. 

Mr Sekyere said labour export would not only help boost the country’s foreign exchange receipts but would also help build the skills and expertise of the people and equip them to transfer their knowledge to others for the good of the country. 

He commended the government for emphasising technical and vocational education, saying it would help provide the requisite skill sets for the people to work and earn a better living. 

Mr Sekyere said the government could initiate the policy and mandate the Labour Department to take up the challenge to follow laid down procedures and processes to recruit and export labour for the country’s benefit.