The National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) has received a delegation from the Africa Skills Observatory (ASO) to explore potential collaboration in workforce intelligence, skills forecasting and evidence-based development planning.

Presenting ASO’s work, Mr Ebenezer Ato Simpson explained that Africa’s skills challenge extends beyond training to the ability to generate and use intelligence on emerging labour market trends. He said ASO brings together data from government, employers, training institutions and other sources to generate insights on skills demand, employment trends, wages and emerging skills. These insights, he noted, could support government decision-making, curriculum development and workforce planning.

Mr Simpson further outlined ASO’s interest in supporting the development of workforce dashboards, skills alignment diagnostics, sector workforce outcomes and policy briefs. He emphasised that the organisation’s approach is intended to provide continuous intelligence rather than periodic snapshots of the labour market.

Responding to the presentation, NDPC Director-General, Dr Audrey Smock-Amoah, welcomed the proposed collaboration and underscored the importance of partnerships in strengthening development planning. She stressed the need to anticipate future workforce requirements and align development strategies with emerging skills and employment needs.

Further discussions focused on the relevance of workforce intelligence to Ghana’s medium-term development planning and human capital development, as well as the need to address data gaps in forecasting skills demand and employment outcomes. The Chief Planning Analyst of the Commission also joined the engagement and contributed to discussions on how workforce intelligence could support evidence-based planning and policy development.