The recent registration exercise to determine the number of unemployed has revealed that over one million and three hundred thousand people in the country are desirous of direct employment. Worst of all, majority of those registered belongs to the era of education reform- JSS graduates.
And so far the statistics confirm the Greater Accra region as the region with the highest number of unemployed people- 177, 121 confirmed. According to the co-ordinator of the National Economic Dialogue Stephen Asamoah-Boateng 32.2% of those registered want to be assisted to set up their own businesses “if given the required capital”
The report also indicates that 37% of the figure would want to be engaged in on-going projects. But Mr. Asamoah Boateng also pointed out that a number of those registered were into some form of employment but preferred other jobs to what they are currently engaged in.
What it means is that government would analyse the report and “get people where they want to go”. But this would not mean offering employment in the already over populated government institutions. Rather the ‘Dialogue’ “ would want to create the enabling environment for small and medium scale businesses to have access to finance so they could be their own masters”.
Also, the government’s interministerial committee would in collaboration with some agencies, offer training for those who have their own businesses. But the NED co-ordinator could not tell how soon those registered would as much as smell employment but gave the assurance that “there would be serious activity on the employment front”.
