Invest in agriculture to curb youth unemployment — UPP Chairman tells Akufo-Addo

The National Chairman for United People Party (UPP), Mr. Kenneth Nana Kwame Asamoah has called on President Akufo Addo- led administration to create a conducive agricultural environment for the youth to help address the current unemployment rate in the country.

According to him, government should fully invest in agriculture in order to make the sector attractive to young people.

"Ghana's present unemployment problem is quite concerning, and it is due to the way our politicians are running the country.

"Our prior presidents' use of grants and loans to administer the country since 1992 has led to the country's current predicament.

"Our present debt totals more than $300 billion. We've borrowed and borrowed, yet nothing has come of it. I have to confess, becoming President of Ghana is now the cheapest thing I've ever done," he explained.

He stressed that, no government borrows to endanger the lives of future generations but to create jobs for them.

"I believe our leaders merely went to school to learn how to borrow money." In Ghana, anyone who wants to live comfortably must go into agribusiness since that is the only industry where you can pay yourself after working.

"The way we're doing agriculture isn't appealing to the youth since there's no market after harvest, much alone a solid road network connecting the farm to the market,” he lamented.

Mr Asamoah, on the other hand, advised government to create retail shops around the country and assure the farmers that their products will be patronized after harvest.

Insisting it is every government's role to create jobs for the people, he however, applauded government for coming out with 1D1F and Planting for food and jobs initiative, claiming that they are solid policies that require a second look at their implementation.

"You will visit villages and see cassava, yam, plantain, and other crops that have been ruined. There is no car to bring products to the capital.

"This is where I will underline the necessity for the government to invest more resources to address the sector's difficulties and make it more appealing to citizens, as a result of which citizens will be happy and the government will be happy," he emphasised.

He explained that the majority of the population falls within the private sector, hence the interest rate must be reduced.

He, therefore, called on the youth to join the UPP drive out NDC and NPP from power since there is nothing better they could offer Ghanaians.