Not all 1,096,404 jobs are new – Wireko-Brobby

Government has admitted that some of the jobs listed in the 1,096,404 it says have been created under President Nana Akufo-Addo, are not new.

This follows questions raised by Minority legislators including Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolgatanga Central, Isaac Adongo, on the jobs government says were created in some sectors like the Ministry for the Interior and the National Youth Employment Agency (YEA).

Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Bright Wireko-Brobby, who defended the list in an interview with Valentina Ofori-Afriyie on Class91.3FM’s 505 news programme on Wednesday, 3 May, acknowledged that some of the job portfolios have existed in times past and are still ongoing.

“The 1,096,404 jobs which we talked about are jobs that people have secured since we came to power,” Mr Wireko-Brobby said.

Pressed further about whether the jobs were fresh jobs created by the Akufo-Addo government, Mr Wireko-Brobby indicated that: “Some are new; some are also ongoing which you know by virtue of the fact that we have come [with] expansions and innovations, people have even been employed”.

He cited, for example, the Ministry of Regional Reintegration and Development, which is a new ministry that has created jobs for some Ghanaians.

Explaining further with another example, he said there could be a module which existed under the previous regime but “when we came, we budgeted; we have ensured that 3,000 people, I have at least 17 of these Arabic teachers posted to my constituency”.

In a sharp response, Mr Adongo, who spoke on the same platform, challenged the claims by the Deputy Minister.

“Islamic Teachers are part of the Youth Employment Agency that the NDC (National Democratic Congress) introduced and recruited them and trained them. In fact, on my campaign platform in the Zongos, the Islamic scholars of 3,000 were one of my key messages in the Zongo communities….Suddenly Akufo-Addo says they are his people,” Mr Adongo noted.

Furthermore, he questioned how employment in the security services could be listed as new employment that has been created by the NPP as individuals are recruited by the Police Service, Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana National Fire Service and others year after year.

For him, government has not created 1,096,404 jobs as being portrayed, as the details reveal just “collated numbers” and “estimates”, which, he said, are not the true reflection of reality.

“We want people who have come with a new way of doing things. You come and collate old things and you say we should clap for you? …What kind of economic thinking is that? You are getting round figures…these are estimated numbers. Estimated numbers don’t put food on anybody’s table we want actual jobs,” he emphasised.