By Edward Dankwah
Accra, July 30, GNA – The German Development Cooperation, in collaboration with the Ghana Institution of Engineering (GhlE), Robert Bosch Ghana and Consolidated Bank Ghana Limited, has officially launched the Professionalisation of Artisans (ProfArts) mobile application in Accra.
The mobile application is designed to expand employment opportunities for local artisans working in Ghana’s building and construction industry by connecting them directly with customers in a secure and practical way.
The ProfArts mobile application offers a range of features including secure profiles for artisans and clients, a search function by location and type of service, and real-time messaging for service discussions.
The mobile application also has booking tools with calendar synchronisation, integrated payment options, and a rating system for both artisans and customers to strengthen trust, transparency and service quality across the sector.
Ms. Chantel Kristin Lahmer, on behalf of the German Ambassador to Ghana, said the ProfArts project was initiated five years ago under the Special Initiative Decent Work for a Just Transition, operating under the Invest for Jobs brand, an initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
She said the project was implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in close cooperation with GhIE, Robert Bosch Ghana, Consolidated Bank Ghana Limited, UVEX Safety Germany and other supporting partners.
Ms. Lahmer said the ProfArts application builds on existing achievements by helping artisans secure fairer working conditions, expand their customer base and deliver professional services that meet industry standards.
She said their commitment to harnessing digital tools to strengthen local economies, create employment opportunities, and promote inclusive and sustainable development across Ghana remained strong.
Mr. George Opare Addo, the Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment, said the Government sees a lot of potential in the construction sector, and welcomed every single effort and initiative to ensure the opportunities within the industry were properly explored.
He said it was for this reason that the Ministry supported the ProfArts project as a contribution towards promoting the formalisation of the informal sector, and welcomed the introduction of the ProfArts mobile application to specifically serve the construction sector.
“The initiative promises to increase the attractiveness of the sector to the youth, by helping them not only gain employment but to do that in a dignified way,” he stressed.
He said the ProfArts project and mobile application was poised to revolutionise Ghana’s construction industry by demystifying the erroneous notion that construction work lacked professional dignity while unlocking new avenues for the many skilled youth within the industry.
Mr. Opare Addo said the ProfArts application came at a time when the National Apprenticeship programme had been introduced to train and equip young people with hands-on skills across several industries, which included the construction sector.
He encouraged both artisans and consumers to capitalise this revolutionary initiative, urging the artisans to get onto the App for more opportunities and reach.
Consumers, he said, should utilise the App for safe, quality service and promote the professionalisation and decent jobs for all agenda.
Mr. Samuel Magnus Asiedu, the Executive Director of GhIE, reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to improving skills, trust and market access for artisans.
He acknowledged the role of the ProfArts project in onboarding craftsmen onto the GhIE register, in line with legal requirements and welcomed the next phase of collaboration with GIZ,
which would focus on further capacity building, licensing and onboarding new artisans onto the mobile application.
GNA
Edited by Benjamin Mensah