“I’ve come back home to help”

David Yaw-Mensah Tette, Director of the Ghanaian-German Centre for Jobs, Migration and Reintegration (MIAC) in Accra, talks about the work done by the centre as well as what motivates him personally.

How do you and your team support those seeking your advice?
David Mensah Tette: First of all, my team listens to the questions and challenges which the returnees tell us about. Before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out we used to hold one-to-one meetings here in the centre, but now we mostly give advice remotely. People give us their details, then we ask them relevant questions and give them advice based on that, whether by phone or by Skype.

Our focus is on young people in Ghana as well as people returning from abroad. We start our consultancy sessions with the basics. We give people the courage to start all over again. For example, we provide them with the kind of information that will help them to set up their own company.

What opportunities do you see in Ghana at the moment?
Ghana is a growing economy with a lot of opportunities in all industries. There is no shortage of opportunities in the start-up scene and e-commerce in particular, as well as in IT especially right now because of the pandemic. There are a lot of IT jobs available, and plenty of IT specialists in Ghana have found it easy to find work. Most people and companies are using digital technology much more during the pandemic, and are providing their services online like us. Agriculture is another promising sector. We try to provide returnees with jobs in that field. We think that it’s worth investing in the entire agricultural value chain. This also creates new jobs. The SME sector also has a lot of potential for development.

What motivates you in your work?
The love for my country and the desire and passion to do my bit to help Ghana grow and develop. I was educated in Germany and now I’ve come back home to help.