I know how it is to be unemployed.
I know how it feels after National service to stay home without jobs for years.
I know how it feels when you are given your bills to pay and you don’t have even ‘One Ghana’ in your pocket to feed yourself.
I know how it feels when your siblings look up to you for support as a graduate and you can’t even put your hands in your pocket to bring out [ads1]1Ghana cedi after three/four years of National service.
I know how it feels as a graduate to sleep on an empty stomach, run away from your landlord at dawn before he wakes up.
It’s not easy to be unemployed in Ghana especially looking at our family system where all resources in the family have been used to take care of you in the university.
I really know how it feels. The worse thing I will never wish for my enemy is being unemployed as a graduate.
That is why I will never speak against any government policy that will give jobs to even two people. Because as a student of Entrepreneurship I know the multiplying effects on just one person getting the job in the family.
One of the major campaign promises which made NPP won the 2016 election aside the DKM and the restoration of the trainees’ allowance was jobs for the youths, especially how to create sustainable jobs for our youths especially our graduates.
NPP chastised Mahama for boasting of creating jobs that are not sustainable for the Youths knowing very well that it is infrastructure that paves way for sustainable jobs.
This government has changed the name of everything that has been started by the former administration to suit their numerous campaign promises instead of thinking through to be innovative.
It’s very pathetic change of name has become the order of the day for the current administration.
Instead of them to build new universities they are rather going around changing names of the existing schools and policies adopted and implemented by the previous regime.
Youth Enterprise Support which was started by JM with Hon. Adu Asare, Hon. Prince Dery and Hon. PV Jantuah as the forces behind before Miss Helga later took over as the CEO has today been renamed the NEIP with John Kuma as the CEO to divert the attention of the good people of Ghana to look as if it was the idea of the NPP.
Now they have shifted their change of name policy to modules in the Youth Employment Agency.
I was a happy man when I heard 100,000 jobs are coming for the graduates. Something everyone will hail because we all want jobs for our youths.
But later after diagnosing NABCO I realized it was a module in YEA program known as Graduate Paid Internship which was developed, designed and rolled out by the previous administration under the leadership of the former CEOs of YEA, Mr Lobby, and Beachem.
The module was widely advertised and lots of Graduates applied but they couldn’t roll it out before NDC lost power in 2016.
When NPP took over, they cancelled the applications for all those who applied and opened the portal for new applicants to apply for same module Graduate Paid Internship which their own people applied, a fact everyone can testify to that interviews were even conducted in the various districts before we later heard the program has been cancelled and the name changed to NABCO for relaunching.
Thank God the President even confirmed it that last year over 250,000 graduates applied meaning the program/module was in existence.
The program designed under the previous administration intended to pay the graduates 650 cedis and 50cedis for their Providence fund amounting to 700cedis. A fact which everyone can testify to.
This policy excluded the nurses because they were been taken care of by Ministry of Health.
The policy of the previous government which was placed before cabinet was to consider the exportation of our unemployed graduates through our embassies to other countries who were ready for their services Example Germany, UK, China, Brazil, France and many other African countries just like Cuba is doing by exporting their health workers even to the United States of America.
So the government was to hold the Graduates for a while working of their field of interest to export them where they will be paid well, accommodated well so that government could also earn foreign exchange from the export deal just like Cuba.
This policy would have covered all sectors especially our graduates. There were lots of countries who were interested and have shown interest because the system would have been regulated by our embassies to prevent the breach of contracts but the people of Ghana could wait for such a vital policy to be implemented but voted the NDC out.
Mahama was also investing in infrastructures like schools, hospitals, and others so that our institutions can absorb our unemployed graduates but people misunderstood him.
Today government continued to make mockery of our unemployed graduates to the extent that a presidential staffer could insult unemployed graduates on her Facebook page because they asked for jobs.
Today Job creation is at a standstill because infrastructural development has come to a standstill under this current administration.
Today a minister of Agric could deceive the people of Ghana that he has created 750,000 jobs because he sold fertilizer to them at half price.
Today Mr. Awal Mohammed the Business Development Minister could go to the UK and say his ministry alone has created over 2million jobs shortly after that the Employment minister also said his ministry has created over a million jobs.
Today Nana Addo has changed the name of a YEA module GRADUATE PAID INTERNSHIP to NACOB just to play mind games with the people of Ghana as well as score political points.
If the government said he cares about the youths, then community he should renew the contact of the Community Police which ends in this month for them because they are also Ghanaians.
Let’s be wise and widely open our eyes because NPP can repackage our projects and policies we have already implemented and sold it to Ghanaians as a brand new policy just as they have started.
Let’s be quick to praise this government.
Why are we praising 750,000 jobs were created by the Agric Minister over 100,000 jobs?
Why are we suddenly praising Nana Addo for 100,000 jobs yet to be created to 2million jobs purported to be created by the Ministry of Business Development?
Why should even the opposition jump into praising Nana Addo for now making efforts to create 100,000 YEA jobs and were silent when triple of such was created under Mills/ Mahama administration?
Both the Minister of Labour and the president spoke at the launch of NABCO in Kumasi with the Minister of Labour saying his ministry as well has created over One million jobs within a year and a half but we are praising NABCO instead of the 1.5million jobs the Ministry of Labour has created. What an irony!
So looking at the figures so far by only three ministries out of 150 shows that NPP government has created over 4.25million jobs in less than two years.
Ghanaians and the NPP footsoldiers will be the best judge in this particular ghost job creation matter.
I still remain surprised how some opposition members have jumped into conclusion praising government without proper diagnosis of the Youth in Graduate support module with YEA which government has just wasted taxpayers money to rename and launched just for political gains.
God will continue to be our helper.
In conclusion, two graduate nurses of same qualification.
One is gainfully employed and paid over GHc1,700(Net Salary) a month till retirement while the other is given a 3-year exiting contract with GHc700 as monthly allowance.
The jobs promised by Akufo-Addo and the NPP?
#ALessonToGhanaians and Ghanaians are the best judges.
#Edefu
Efo Worlanyo TSEKPO
B/A Regional Youth Organizer Hopeful!
