THE 2024 Disability Career Fair has been held in Accra to address the issue of employment and economic empowerment for youth with disabilities in Ghana.
It aimed to provide a unique opportunity and platform to enable youth with disabilities to not only strengthen their employability and entrepreneurship skills but to ultimately contribute to the sustainable economic development of the country.
Organised by Standard Chartered Bank Ghana PLC in partnership with the Ghana Federation for Disability Organisations (GFD) and other national and international partners, the career fair provided a platform for participants to connect with employers who are committed to creating inclusive work environments.
In Ghana, approximately 38.5 per cent of households with persons with disabilities fall below the national poverty line. There is a particularly high incidence of poverty in households with a person with a disability compared to households without persons with disabilities.
There is a growing recognition of the importance of inclusivity and diversity in the workplace which calls for concerted and intentional efforts to remove barriers that impede disability inclusion and the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities in the workspace.
Speaking at the event in Accra, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Standard Chartered, Mansa Nettey, reiterated the bank’s commitment to building sustainable and inclusive communities.
She said it was important to build an environment in the workplace where everyone with the capacity to excel could do so.
“We continue to engage persons with disabilities and ensure that our recruitment processes do not exclude qualified persons because of their challenge.
“We also ensure the workplace is disability friendly providing a conducive environment to thrive and grow,” she said.
Promoting rights
A representative of the British High Commission, Enyonam Azumah, said disability inclusion was essential for promoting the rights of persons with disabilities and added that “it is also central to the realisation and achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to leave no one behind.”
“In Ghana, a large majority of youth with disabilities are unemployed, under-employed or earn lower wages than people without disabilities: gender inequality furthers that divide.
In the long term, economic development and empowerment for all Ghanaian citizens, including those with disabilities plus investment in human capital is the sustainable pathway to economic growth and poverty reduction,” she said.
Career fair
The Career Fair plays a vital role in advancing inclusivity in the workforce by connecting individuals with disabilities to employment opportunities and empowering companies to build more diverse and inclusive workplaces.
It also aligns with the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy which promotes disability inclusion as a human right, and a business imperative and the right and smart thing to do.
