Government cannot be the only employer

Accra, July 13, GNA - Mr Ben Asamoaning Akumba, a youth development practitioner and a business consultant, on Wednesday said government cannot be trusted to offer solutions the mounting unemployment problem in Ghana.

"The solution to unemployment can no longer be left to governments," he said, adding, they had failed their people. "Policy implementation is no longer done in the interest of the nation but in the interest of political manifestos," he said. He said: 93Even in stable democracies, job creation is no longer a responsibility of governments. He noted that the best government could do was to provide the enabling conditions. Mr Akumba was speaking in Accra at a youth conference organised by the American Embassy.

He spoke on the topic, 93Ghana in the face of unbearable youth unemployment - the way forward."

Mr Akumba noted that current estimates showed that about 250,000 people entered the job market every year adding, out of this figure, graduates make up close to 51,000.

"Of this 51,000 only about 2% (a mere 1000) can secure formal employment which is much less than the total number of graduates from for example Ho Polytechnic alone," he said.

"With a freeze on government net employment, an under developed private sector, a miss-match between skills-sets taught in our schools and what is required by industry and commence, a lack of commitment by governments towards technical and vocational education, the score card surely looks bleak for youth unemployment in Ghana," he lamented. He indicated that though disturbing the situation might seem, Ghana had hope and potentials to succeed.

"As the world continues to recognize Africa as the last investment frontier, Ghana continues to attract unique attention as Africa's investment safe haven," he said.

Mr Akumba stated that: 93It behoves on us, the future leaders of this country, to ensure that the right actions are taken today to influence the future positively in our favour."

According to him, history and testimonies from other jurisdictions continued to affirm that employment could be created when young creative people began to identify challenges and profited from these challenges by prescribing useful solutions. "The prescription of these solutions should not be about what you can do or what talents you have alone but what is useful," he said. He said Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motors, to Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, from Carlos Slim Helu of Mexico the richest man in the world, Alhadji Aliko Dangote of Nigeria, the richest man in Africa, were all useful example that could inspire the Ghanaian youth into action.

"With tenacity and fortitude dreams can become reality and ideas can be brought to life despite challenging circumstances," he said. 13 July 11