Private sector to manage Accra Business Outsourcing Centre
The Accra Business Process Outsourcing/Information Technology Enabled Service (BPO/ITES) Centre, when complete, would be managed by the private sector in collaboration with the Ministry of Communications.
That is to enable the private sector to bring its expertise on board to make the centre viable and also reinvest in the business.
Mr Edward Ato Sarpong, the Deputy Minister of Communications, who announced this at a stakeholders’ dialogue in Accra, said government had no take in running a business but would only develop the right policies to enable the private sector to flourish.
He said government would continue to attract loans and grants to develop the necessary infrastructure to enhance the private sector.
He said the $8.3 million project, which was started in 2011, was financed by the World Bank and the Rockefeller Foundation to create more jobs for the youth and the marginalised.
The facility is a collection of 12 old warehouses of the Public Works Department (PWD) that have been renovated into world class office buildings with each of the buildings occupying a space of 735 square meters, making a total of 8,820 square meters.
The BOP/ITES Centre is adjacent the State Highways yard on the East, and close to the State Transport Corporation (STC) on the West.
Mr Ato Sarpong said the facility was expected to accommodate a workforce of 10,000 daily and urged the public to take advantage of the facility to create jobs for themselves as well as employ others to develop the digital industry in Ghana.
He said there were plans to convert another facility into BPO/ITES under the phase two project and government would also replicate same in the Central and the Northern regions to stop the youth from migrating to the south for non-existing greener pastures.
The Government of Ghana and the Mauritius Government would sign a Memorandum of Understanding for the latter to bring $10 million for the expansion of the Tema ICT Park project.
Mavis Ampah, the Lead ICT Specialist, Africa Regional Co-ordinator at the World Bank, commended Ghana for leading the continent in a number of projects and urged the authorities to invest in new skills and make it attractive to the global market.
She also commended the government for its commitment towards the project which would create jobs for over a 10,000 work force.
Mamoudou Biteye, the Managing Director, Africa Regional Office of the Rockefeller Foundation, said Ghana was the only country on the continent that had all aspects of the Foundation’s work present and lauded the positive collaboration between them and the Government of Ghana.
He, therefore, urged the Government to shift the Education Budget towards demand driven skills to provide more jobs for those in that category.
OAI Ghana Limited, a Facility Management Company, is slated to handle the management of the BPO Facility in collaboration with the Ministry of Communications.
Source: GNA