ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an overview of informality in sub-Saharan Africa and in African construction. It provides an analysis of the Ghanaian economy and demography and the state of informality and formality. The history of formal construction skills training in Ghana began in the 1950s with the establishment of the then Public Works Departmen as an integrated design, construction and maintenance organization to undertake the building and road projects of the government. The chapter discusses three case studies of skills training initiatives in Ghana. The case studies included in this chapter describe three initiatives to develop construction skills: World University Services of Canada project; the Global Communities Youth Inclusive Entrepreneurial Development Initiative for Employment project and the Ghana Skills Development Initiative, which is supported by the German government. The objectives are Construction skills training has so far been implemented in welding, block laying and tiling, electrical installation and furniture works, and these have been offered in five regions in Ghana.
