Chinese proficiency boosts Ghanaian graduates' employability in job market

Ghanaian students participate in a job fair hosted by the Confucious Institute at the University of Cape Coast in Cape Coast, Ghana, March 24, 2023. (Photo by Seth/Xinhua)

ACCRA, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Ghanaian university graduates who speak the Chinese language are popular talents favored by employers in the job market.

In a two-day job fair that started Friday and was hosted by the Confucious Institute at the University of Cape Coast, one of the top universities in Ghana, the young graduates who majored in Chinese have been sought after by many Chinese firms operating in the West African country.

Diane Luo, a human resource manager of China's Twyford Ceramics who was busy doing interviews at the fair, told Xinhua that finding proficient translators who know both local languages and Chinese is still not easy for them because "Chinese majors are still a small group of people".

"We want someone who speaks Chinese fluently, understands the Chinese culture, and helps us build a better company in Ghana," Luo said, adding that the Chinese companies' current demand for such talents outweighs the supply.

According to Chen Jian, manager of LCF, a Chinese home appliances firm based in Ghana, Ghanaian graduates fluent in Chinese gained more advantages when hunting for a job.

"We import components from China and assemble them here, and we believe those who speak Chinese and know Ghanian culture and market will help boost our sales here, and we are happy to provide them training in the meantime," he said.

"When you see the trade volume between the two countries, no one can deny the importance of the Chinese language," Chen said.

As the China-Africa cooperation deepens, an increasing number of Ghanaian students prefer Chinese as their first or second major for better job opportunities. Ghana, a country with a population of 30 million, has two Confucius Institutes which are respectively based at the University of Cape Coast and the University of Ghana.

"Those who speak Chinese could actually have higher chances of getting employed than those who can't," said Isaac Ibrahim, a lecturer at the Confucious Institute at the University of Cape Coast, adding that the institute has been trying various means to help students achieve Chinese proficiency.

"We have opened our doors wide to the whole university community. We try to encourage them to come to our institute and learn Chinese and we don't charge them anything. We have a language lab. We have teachers available to teach. Texts books are available and we provide them with the support that they need to be able to study the language," said Ibrahim, who has a doctoral degree in Chinese.

Ibrahim is brimming with confidence in the prospect of the Chinese language course as a major as the Chinese economy is booming and many Chinese companies are seeking to tap into the African market. "Apparently, those who speak Chinese could take advantage of that."

Ghanaian students participate in a job fair hosted by the Confucious Institute at the University of Cape Coast in Cape Coast, Ghana, March 24, 2023. (Photo by Seth/Xinhua)