Madina Constituency is Ghana’s fifth-largest Constituency in Ghana. The Constituency is divided into 15 electoral areas and has a population of about 200,000 people, the majority of whom are between the ages of 12 and 45. The constituency is home to two of Ghana’s best secondary schools, West Africa Senior Secondary School and Presbyterian Boys Secondary School, as well as University of Professional Studies, one of Ghana’s top collegiate institutions.
Poverty and its attendant socioeconomic difficulties, on the other hand, are widespread in the constituency. It is typical to observe second cycle and tertiary education qualification holders hawking and attempting to make ends meet during the day, as well as some adolescents gambling or participating in petty larceny on the streets at night. Because of the latter social hazard, many Madina was described as a “flashpoint” in the 2020 Ghana Crime and Safety Report.
In following out his mission to the people of Madina, Lawyer Francis-Xavier Sosu established the Madina Job Center in November 2020 to reduce poverty in the constituency by fostering decent jobs and socio-economic growth (SDG 1 & 8) as well as providing young people with applicable skills.
Francis-Xavier Sosu (Esq.), Member of Parliament for the Madina Constituency, wants to use the Madina Job Center, the flagship project in this office, to help 10,000 young people get jobs and skills by 2024.
In its 2021 report, the Madina Job Center compiled a database of 5,128 job seekers, 4,026 of whom were found through its online job search site (www.madinajobcenter.com), and the rest via WhatsApp and Facebook community service platforms. A feasibility study revealed that Madina’s youth are in desperate need of skill development.
Madina Job Center has given work, skills training, and business development possibilities to up to 3,200 unemployed young people in its first year of operation through three modules currently administered by the Center, namely Job recruiting, Vocational Apprenticeship, and Entrepreneurship.
Of the total impacted lives, the detailed statistics of impact of Job Recruitment, Vocational Apprenticeship, and Entrepreneurship modules, respectively, is 69percent, 18percent, and 13percent.
The Madina Job Center’s mid-to-long-term mission, according to Francis-Xavier Sosu, is to construct a cutting-edge skill development center centered on youth empowerment.
Agriculture, human resource development, vocational training, manufacturing, and information technology were among the different sectors in which Madina Job Center made significant impact in 2021.
Sixteen community development projects were implemented across all three modules, including Women in Mushroom Farming, Graphic Design, Motion Graphics, Website and Mobile App Development, Digital Satellite Installation, Soap and Detergent Making, Dairy Production, and Career Counseling for WASS students, to name a few.
Youth in Fashion Design, Youth in Hairdressing, AC and Cold Store Installation and Repairs are among the current vocational apprenticeship programs, with more on the way.
To provide jobs, the Madina Job Center worked with 97 businesses in the constituency. Health (midwifery, nurses, and medicine counter assistant jobs), Education (nursery, primary, secondary, and private tutor jobs), Transportation (uber, company, and private driving jobs), Hospitality (restaurant managers, catering, home and shop keepers, and receptionist jobs), Biomedical Engineering jobs, Accounting, and marketing jobs were among the positions obtained. Micro businesses accounted for 58percent of recruiting partners, with small, medium, and large businesses accounting for 27percent, 13percent, and 2percent, respectively.
The Madina Job Center is here to stay, as part of a concerted commitment to improve human capability and contribute to Ghana’s socio-economic development. In 2022, the Member of Parliament’s office anticipates a stronger influence.
