IIPGH, AFOS Foundation and partners launch Tech Job Fair (TJF) 2023

Organisers of the annual Tech Job Fair (TJF) are geared up to give potential employees and employers yet another thrilling and exciting opportunity to recruit and be recruited into the job market after a media launch of the fair in Accra.

The 2023 edition of the Tech Job Fair (TJF) scheduled to come off on Wednesday, February 22, 2023 at the Accra International Conference Center (AICC) will be held under the theme ‘Leveraging technology to create inclusive and sustainable jobs’.

Before the main event takes place, there shall be several other stakeholder engagements for employers and employees separately.

The one-day job fair is to bring together companies looking for new talents, on one hand, and job-seeking graduates on the other to exhibit and fill up job openings through an innovative rapid recruitment process.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), Prince Ofosu Sefah, who was the guest speaker, noted that the Tech Job Fair is in line with government’s agenda to bridging the unemployment gap in the country.

“One of the things I like most about the upcoming Tech Job Fair is the fact that, once again, it is going to create an opportunity for industry players to interface with tech job seekers so they can dialogue on how best tech job vacancies can be filled. Government therefore throws its full weight behind the 2023 Tech Job Fair. My assurance to IIPGH and AFOS Foundation and all partners is that government will continue to support initiatives such as these.”

Director General for National Information Technology Agency (NITA), Mr. Richard Okyere-Fosu, on his part highlighted that the country is thriving on digitalization and stressed on the need for businesses and individuals to be digitally inclined to stay relevant in the industry.

“All these require new set of skills, from the security man at the company entrance to the board chairman. All must be trained and retrained with modern day employable skills. The Tech Job Fair is one of the best platforms for the new age,” he said.

AFOS Foundation represented by Hanna Schlingmann, project manager AFOS/DigiCAP.gh, said: “We are very optimistic that the young professionals who have participated in the digiCAP training have amazing career opportunities ahead of them. With the DigiCAP Junior Consultant Program, the AFOS Foundation encourages young talents to develop an entrepreneurial spirit, so they can become not only well-paid employees, but even well-paying employers.”

Her call to action for industry professionals was: “A good investment we can make is to open our doors, to engage with the new generation not as potential competitors but as emerging professionals, collaborators and innovators for our shared future”.

Executive Director for the Institute of ICT Professionals Ghana (IIPGH), David Gowu said the fair seeks to provide the avenue to understand the needs and expectations of all stakeholders and development partners of Ghana concerned in creating opportunities related to jobs and the future of work.

“Debates have always been rife as to whether the graduate unemployment situation in Ghana is occasioned by lack of job openings or a mismatch of skills in relation to the available jobs. It is in response to this dilemma that the concept of a Tech Job Fair (TJF) was conceived and birthed in 2021 and it is a great opportunity to find or change to a new job, learn from the best experts in IT & digital industry and as well learn from and network with peers,” he said.

He added that the fair is part of a broader agenda to “ensure that an enabling environment is created for young people to access decent jobs, so they benefit from the digital transformation agenda of Ghana.”

Other partners that spoke in support of the event while extending invitation to all and sundry included the National Service Scheme (NSS), Jobberman Ghana, L’aine Services, and the Chamber of Telecommunications Ghana, Leti Arts, Netherlands Trust Fund, International Trade Centre, GIBT, and Admintelecom.

Participation

The job fair is FREE and open to all jobseekers and companies with ICT-related jobs. Exhibitions at the fair however will be restricted to partners and companies with track record in the tech industry. These companies will have access to a large pool of fresh talent seeking their very first job breakthrough as well as experienced professionals seeking to switch jobs or careers. What is significant is that job seekers will be asked to complete an online survey to help match their skills with to be exhibited at the fair.

Beyond on-site participation at AICC, provisions will be made for virtual participation to ensure that as many companies and individuals that are interested would have the opportunity to participate if there be a hindrance to attend in person.

Partners

The lead organizer for the Tech job Fair, the Institute of ICT Professionals Ghana (IIPGH) is a professional association of experts and businesses in the ICT industry in Ghana and beyond. The Institute is a connect of ICT professionals from corporate organizations, educational institutions, startups, government institutions, development partners, and civil society organizations to create a vibrant ICT ecosystem.

The Tech Job Fair is part of the DigiCAP.gh initiative, a project funded by German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) via Sequa as part of the Special Initiative Partner Africa with AFOS Foundation, a business-oriented and value-based foundation for international development cooperation, as the implementing partner.

Other collaborating partners for the fair include, Netherlands Trust Fund, International Trade Centre, the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, DgiCAP.gh, Jobberman Ghana, L’AINE Services, GIBT, Admintelecom, MTN Ghana, Leti Arts, Google Developer Group, University of Cape Coast (UCC), Accra Technical University (ATU), National Service Scheme (NSS), Delegation of German Industry & Commerce in Ghana (AHK), IoT Network Hub among others.

The Event

This year’s Tech Job Fair is anticipated to host over 2000 potential jobseekers with over 50 institutions representing industry. The event will be held in four sessions including an exhibition of booths, presentation sessions, breakout sessions, and plenary discussion sessions. The event will be streamed live on social media and on the institute’s online portals. Pre-event activities have been lined up to prepare jobseekers for opportunities before the fair, they include virtual sessions by tech experts, Industry-Academia Tech Dialogue, media interviews and engagements.