Ghana, a country rich in culture and tradition. A country popular for its rich natural resources. Gold, cocoa and oil are among the many goodies that we are blessed with. In 2020, the country was also ranked as the 17th best place to do business in Africa and 118th in the world rankings.
The unemployment rate in Ghana was at approximately 4.51 percent of the total labor force in 2020 and this figure keeps rising year on year. With an average age of 21.5 years, it is obvious that the youth in Ghana hold the key to the country’s future. However, with few job opportunities available for the highly populated youth of Ghana, one may wonder what options are available? The 21st century came with it a beam of hope with technological advancements and the birth of e-commerce. The benefits of e-commerce are enormous and cannot be overemphasized. Jumia, Africa’s leading online retail platform examines Tech & e-commerce as the best place for young Ghanaians to grow.
Employment – With online stores and ecommerce companies spreading like wildfire in Ghana, lot’s of job opportunities are opening up in various forms. For young graduates, this presents a special opportunity to learn and grow. Ecommerce and tech is not a rigid field and it’s open to people from different educational backgrounds. The fast paced yet very dynamic and flexible nature of online retail has made it possible for very young people to learn quickly and grow into seasoned professionals. Technology is interesting and the environment is so conducive for young minds.Financial rewards also support young employees to save up and prepare for the future.
Entrepreneurship – The other side of the coin is entrepreneurship. Being self-employed has become a very attractive phenomenon for many young Ghanaians. Today everywhere you go on social media, you will find young Ghanaians selling products and services. Many of these young entrepreneurs are making it from offline sales. However a unique opportunity presents itself when the offline sales are balanced with online sales and e-commerce. There are limitless opportunities with tech and e-commerce that young Ghanaians can delve into for great profits and professional growth. Website and mobile applications developments as well as Social media management are among the very lucrative business opportunities currently making waves in Ghana. Apart from owning your own online shop, owning a service providing company as a young individual in Ghana can also be very rewarding for profits and growth.
Reduced Crime – Reduced crime is often attributed to an increase in employment rate. The more legitimate jobs there are, the less chance there is for youth crimes. Imagine being busy running a business or being employed by a tech or e-commerce firm. With huge expectations and KPI’s, there is actually less or no time to think about crime.
Overcome geographical limitations – Due to urbanization and the desire by all young people to move to the capital city for greener pastures, e-commerce and tech presents the best solution to tackle this problem. With tech and e-commerce there is little or no geographical limitation. You can be in one region and manage an online shop in another. You can be employed by an e-commerce firm in one town and yet work from another. This saves time and money which may have been invested in transportation as well. As new technologies are introduced into the country and more e-commerce related opportunities arise, there seems to be hope for many young Ghanaians. With tertiary institutions now adapting to the wave by introducing online retail courses and programs, the future’s so bright and the sky’s the limit. Companies such as Jumia have over the years opened it’ doors to young Ghanaians to go through training while gathering good experience.