A full capacity audience of graduates and young professionals attended the GUBA Careers event at Clyde & Co in London on Saturday, February 10, 2018.

Dubbed “The Diaspora Transition 2018”, the event focused on bridging the gap between professionals in the Diaspora and companies in Ghana by connecting young professionals looking to move to Ghana with recruiters from several organisations.

The event also focused on equipping participants with advice and practical steps to finding employment in Ghana and resettling.

In a keynote address, Papa Owusu-Ankomah, Ghana’s High Commissioner to the UK & Ireland, said the Ghanaian government has introduced various programmes to boost youth employment.

He said the government’s policy initiative, National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Plan (NEIP), for example, is expected to create a support system for young Ghanaian entrepreneurs of up to 35 years old, tax holidays of up to five years for young Ghanaian entrepreneurs, and tax holidays for start-ups based on the number of people they employ.

“There has also been the introduction of tax credits and other incentives for companies that hire young graduates of tertiary institutions,” he added.

Speaking on what her company look for amongst the diaspora, Esi Nana Sekyiamah, Regional Head for Sustainability Management Services at ECOM (West Africa), who also co-sponsored the event, said; “we look for highly motivated, multicultural and entrepreneurial minded people with a great sense of humour and passionate about farming and farmers livelihood in West Africa. We also operate a very effective graduate internship scheme for under and postgraduates.”

Mr Akwasi Awua Ababio, Director of the Diaspora Office at the Office of the President of Ghana and representatives from the Ghana Regulatory Agency, Messers Julius Kantum and Samuel Sakyi Duodu led thought-provoking conversations on the routes to obtaining Ghanaian citizenship, pointers for tax and overcoming the hurdles of customs.

Mr Edward Effah, Group CEO of Fidelity Bank Ghana and Mrs Uche Ofodile, Regional Head, Africa – Express Wifi at Facebook shared their inspirational stories of transitioning back to Ghana and how they overcame the hurdles that came their way.

They also shared the GUBA vision and encouraged the audience to return home but prepare before making the transition.

In her closing address, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the GUBA Enterprise, Dentaa Amoateng MBE, urged Ghanaians in the Diaspora to take advantage of the economic upturn in Ghana.

“As British-Ghanaians, the onus is on us to look towards our motherland with a sense of patriotism that compels us to sacrifice ourselves and our resources to its development,” she said

She explained that past and present governments have made it a matter of policy to reach out to members of the Diaspora and we want to use GUBA Careers to bridge the gap between the Diaspora and Ghana.”