By Issah Mohammed, Valarie Asare
Accra, Nov. 13, GNA – Service providers in the Business Outsourcing industry have formed the “Business Outsourcing Services Association Ghana” (BOSAG) for advocacy and growth of the industry.
The association, which is currently made up of about four major Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) companies seeks to among other things, influence policies and legislation through advocacy and enhance collaboration with investment partners locally and internationally.
It also intends to strengthen relationship among local outsourcing companies and with global outsourcing trade organisations.
Representatives of the BPOs in collaboration with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH launched the association at the Global Business Services (GBS) Partnership Forum.
Also launched was a Call-to-Action document that focuses on a GBS-specific growth plan for Ghana.
This included interventions such as fiscal incentives, subsidies on investments, infrastructure support and special tariffs on power and internet, skills support, access to markets and creating a one stop shop for coordinating activities in the sector.
Speaking at the launch, Mr John Duti, Team Lead, Invest for Job Special Initiatives, GIZ said the BPO sector had the potential to drive Ghana’s economic transformation agenda through job creation.
“And when we hear potential presidents talking, they’re talking about digitalisation for job creation. All of them are talking about the digital space to create jobs. And we want to point out to them that this is a sector you should focus on, because it has proven to be a subsector that creates decent jobs,” he said.
Currently, Ghana has over 19,000 people employed in the GBS sector, contributing 0.5 per cent of the global workforce.
The country currently hosts the two largest BPO companies in the world- WebHelp+ Concentrix, and Majorel, who collectively employ over 1500 young people.
Other operators in the country serving both local and international clients include Amalitech, Turntabl, Tech Mahindra, ISON Xperiences, Zuzo, Remotelli, CCI Global, E-services Africa Limited, among others.
Mr Yofi Grant, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) highlighted the need policy makers to understand the critical role GBS plays in the transformation of the economy.
He urged the association to create awareness about the sector with relevant stakeholders including top level decision makers to help the sector to thrive.
Mr Grant said the GIPC, in collaboration with key stakeholders like BOSAG and the German Cooperation, was committed to leveraging Ghana’s competitive advantages to attract global companies and position Ghana as the preferred destination for outsourcing services in Africa.
“We will work diligently to implement the recommendations outlined in the action plan and create a thriving BPO ecosystem in Ghana”
The Board Chairman of BOSAG, Mr Kojo Afedzi Hayford, called on key stakeholders in the BPO ecosystem to join the association to make it the authoritative voice for the industry.
GNA