Giving The Youth Jobs

Mr. Abuga Pele is in the news. The former National Co-ordinator of the National Youth Employment Agency (GYEEDA), who is in court defending himself over allegations of improper handling of  funds and other related matters, has warned against lack of effective programmes to cater for what he called the “overwhelming numbers” of unemployed youth being churned out of the various institutions.

The Member of Parliament for Chiana-Paga in the Upper East Region says the ever-growing rate of unemployment among the youth is a threat to peace and security of this country. In the words of former British Prime Tony Blair, youth unemployment 'is a scar on the conscience' of this nation; with the potential to worsen the poverty situation in the country.

“Ghana churns out over 200,000 unemployed youth every year. The private and public sectors do not employ up to 10 percent of this number. So we have an army and overwhelming number of these youths on the streets, and the only avenue to vent their anger will be on those of us who are given the opportunity to be in leadership.”

Read the lips of the former Co-ordinator of GYEEDA, under whose watch the youth employment agency was allegedly used to line the pockets of officialdom and their collaborators: “I think that we owe it a duty and responsibility to ourselves first; if we want to have peace of mind and we want to be safe, ensure that the youth are given the opportunity to do something (work), otherwise, this country is in extreme danger.”

The Akans, the largest ethnic group in this country, would tell you: ‘If a frog comes from the river and announces that the crocodile has had a headache, that assertion cannot be challenged.’

Mr. Abuga Pele has been in the cauldron of finding jobs for the youth, and must be well-versed in the consequences of failing the youth, who are the future leaders of society.  The Chronicle shares in the frustration of Mr. Pele, and urges the national leadership to pay more attention to the problem of youth unemployment, and the remedy for it.

We believe that the number of unemployed youth churned out by the system could well be more than the 200,000 per annum figure given by the former GYEEDA boss. We are told that this year alone, about 460,000 candidates sat the Basic Education Examination Certificate Examination. About a third of this number may not get admission to the various second cycle institutions in the country, which means that, at least, 150,000 adolescents would be added to the number on the streets, eking out a living by selling ice water and other minor items.

From the second cycle, nearly 100,000 would be added from those who may not gain admission to tertiary institutions.

Graduate unemployment has its own peculiar problem. In this category, more than 100,000 are churned out annually from the various tertiary institutions. By conservative estimate, The Chronicle could point to about 400,000 youth coming out of the various institutions in this country without jobs.

The prognosis for peace cannot be good, with all this number of angry youths sitting idle and demanding to be fed, clothed and provided with shelter. The situation is dire. This society might not need researchers in sociology nor any soothsayer to predict the kind of social unrest building up on our streets and various homes.

We have to work out a mechanism to address the problem. That is one reason why The Chronicle buys into the concept of one factory per district being propagated by the leader and presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

This nation needs radical measures to deal with the implosion facing us, in the face as a result of a large number of unemployed youth being churned out annually.

Instead of pooh poohing Nana's idea, we should subject it to thorough examination, and allow him to implement it to save this country from descending into anarchy. Great nations are built on ideas. We cannot sit idle and expect a miracle to bail this nation out of the economic and social quagmire we have created for ourselves.