Minister of Interior, Ambrose Dery
Minister of Interior Ambrose Dery has made a strong suggestion that the Electronic Transfer Levy Bill will reduce the issue of youth unemployment in the country drastically.
In an impassioned address in Wa during the government’s town hall meeting on the Bill on Monday, February 21, Mr. Dery said the suggestion by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the government to rather go for an extended credit facility (ECF) from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will rather worsen the unemployment situation in the country.
“You see they are changing the story,” the Member of Parliament (MP) for Nandom Constituency noted.
“The most offensive one is that we should go to IMF. We went to IMF before. What was the result? High youth unemployment.”
He cited how the recent recruitment by security agencies highlighted the issue of youth unemployment in the country.
Therefore, he maintained that the introduction of the Bill, popularly known as e-levy, will provide the government with the needed funds to employ more youth.
“One of the reasons why we are collecting this tax is to provide our boys and girls, sons and daughters, with employment and you say we shouldn’t collect it?”
He cited how trainees of the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-introduced Nation Builders Corps (NABCo) took to the streets in Accra on Thursday, February 17, demanding their unpaid stipends.
“Now you have NABCo people asking to be paid. That is better than having an unemployed graduates association. At least, they are paid to look up and we are sure we will pay them.”
He finally called on Upper Westerners to embrace the e-levy for government to do more for them, especially with the expansion of road networks and electricity in the region.
