Ghana calls for mining workers to be prepared for automation and AI
Nana Kwabena Yeboah, Head of People and Corporate Culture at GCB Bank, called on mining companies at the Ghana Chamber of Mines HR Conference in Accra to reconsider workforce planning approaches amid the spread of automation and artificial intelligence. New technologies, he said, create not only risks for jobs but also opportunities for safer, smarter and more productive workplaces, MyJoyOnline reports.
Planning skills instead of staff numbers
Yeboah spoke at a thematic session on skills and workforce planning in the era of automation, AI and the energy transition. He noted that companies should focus not only on forecasting headcount, but also on identifying future work tasks, the skills required for them and employees’ competencies.
Among the key qualities employers should develop, he named curiosity, adaptability, resilience and digital literacy. Reskilling programmes, in his view, should be directly linked to future roles and business needs rather than being formal training.
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Training and career pathways
As an example, Yeboah cited GCB Bank’s Digital Academy online platform, where employees undergo structured digital skills training for about six months. He stressed that digital transformation should primarily be viewed as a people-related issue requiring transparent communication, employee engagement and reliable pathways for professional transition.
The GCB Bank representative also called for the use of workforce data and findings from local and international studies to identify skills shortages in advance. He supported the development of two career tracks — managerial and specialist — as well as cooperation between mining companies and universities, technical and vocational education institutions. Such interaction, he said, will help build talent pipelines and may contribute to better representation of women in the mining industry.
