The Ghanaian government will with effect from this month embark on a national registration exercise of all unemployed youth in the country. The move is in line with the Kufuor administration’s policy to create employment for the youth.
Deputy Government Spokesman, Kwabena Agyepong told the “Evening News” that the exercise dubbed “Action for Employment Generation” would start at all regional and district capitals on October 8, 2001.
The exercise, he said would be on-going and it would record those who are gaining and losing employment. Various regional centres he said had been identified using the existing 110 district labour offices and other local government structures for the exercise.
Mr. Agyepong explained that the registration would provide the profits of the unemployed youth and utilise it to provide a basic enterprise training programme to enable them to join the employed field, be placed on vocational institutions to enhance their skills and go into self-employment.
The exercise would be under the auspices of the Ministries of Employment and Manpower Development and the Economic Planning and Regional Integration. Those to be registered would undergo a three-week training programme.
The objective of the exercise is to provide a means for the government and other interested parties to know the unemployment figures at every point in time.
“It will also assist the public and private sector organisations to develop employment programmes to absolve the unemployed as well as train and develop the creative abilities of Ghanaians to be genuine entrepreneurs and be their own masters in business,” the deputy government spokesman said.
The Ghanaian says the exercise would seek to provide facilities of a clearinghouse to match the unemployed with job opportunities and to direct the energies and time of the youth to productive ventures.
