Ways to gain and retain employees in your business

A conversation with Warc Africa

Creating sustainable employment opportunities is crucial for economic growth and social stability.

It does not only provides individuals with the means to support themselves and their families but also drives consumer spending and boosts local economies.

According to the World Bank, every 1% increase in employment leads to a 0.6% increase in GDP growth. This shows that, job creation is not only beneficial to individuals but also for the economy as a whole however in Ghana, the situation differ as 1.76 million young people were unemployed within the third quarter of 2022 following the country's 2022 Annual Household Income and Expenditure Survey.

As the Youth in Food Program continues to work with key stakeholders to connect potential pool of talents to the job market hence reducing the unemployment rate in Ghana, it is crucial to note that, without strategic approach to employ and retain talents, the unemployment rate in Ghana only deepens further.

Joining us today on this blog is Warc Africa, a social enterprise that serves over 8,000 farmers in the Upper West of Ghana through community based trading hubs focused on improving incomes, transforming rural livelihoods and turning farmers into climate heroes.

Join the conversation below to learn how Warc is able to gain and retain employees.

Do you see any gaps between what companies need and the skills youth have?

Who do you believe is responsible for the development of skills of youth and what could that look like?

Yes, there is a gap.

We are thought the hard skills aspect of what is needed to get a job like typing skills, language speaking, etc) but very lacking in competencies such as business ethics, interpersonal skills, motivation, active listening, management, and self-confidence.

This is what YFP gives to the trainees before they are connected to jobs.

We hear that you are pretty good at retaining talent.

Could you give 5 tips to retain talent and foster a supportive work environment for youth to thrive?

● Give opportunity for growth

● Listen

● Empathize

● Challenge employees in a balanced way

● Earn the trust of your employees

What are Warc's future plans and strategies for increasing youth employment rates in the

agriculture sector, and how does Warc believe they and other companies can contribute to the overall growth of the agricultural workforce in Ghana?

Warc set off to bring subsistence farmers out of poverty whether youth or in their old

age but we believe we have done more than that, especially with our work of targeting the young

ladies in the upper west region to man our hubs basically boosting employment opportunities for

the young ladies in the community.

We started off with 50 employees within operations, field, and administration in the upper west, basically made up of people between the ages of 20-35.

We currently have over 30 youthful males in our field team and 80 young women handling the

hubs in the region.

(A YFP youth who got the opportunity to work with Warc)

We have all heard about “New Work”; meaning; employee-centered work and leadership that

balances the interests of both company and the employee. More remote work, less hierarchy.

In what ways does Warc integrate these new ways of working and how does this relate to

employees working in the field (where there is more practical work)

“New work” does not only revolve around remote working, less hierarchy, and so on.

Agile and continuous learning experiences are some of the few Warc does by implementing

learning and development programs that align with evolving job roles and industry trends.

And we heard you joined the YFP program last year, why did you join and what will you say

to other companies out there?

Joining the program has brought us a lot of exposure and connected us to the candidates we really needed especially those in the northern part where our business is present.

So if you area company within the food and agri sector space, do not miss the chance to join the program.

Join our 1 day interactive career fair that connects innovative food and agriculture businesses with pre-selected job seekers.

APPLY HERE