The participants (L-R) Greenstreet, Johnny Osei Kofi and Dr. Marfo during the dialogue.
Three political parties have explained in detail their plans on how they intend to tackle the issue of unemployment at a programme called ‘Y Dialogue’ organized by YFM, a private radio station.
The participating political parties included the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) represented by Johnny Osei Kofi, a deputy Chief of Staff, the Convention People’s Party (CPP), represented by their flag bearer Ivor Kobina Greenstreet and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) which was represented by Dr. Emmanuel K. Marfo, the party’s parliament candidate for the Oforikrom Constituency in Kumasi.
At the Great Hall of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the programme brought together students, sympathizers of the participating parties as well as civil society organizations.
CPP’s Ivor Kobina Greenstreet who set the tone stated that a CPP government “would provide linkages to most private companies in the country and create job opportunities with these companies while government pays their salaries.”
“Between 2010- 2015, we earned 3 billion dollars from our oil resources but if we had implemented the production sharing formula, Ghana would have earned 9 billion dollars within that period. Parts of the proceeds from this – if we had implemented that system – could have been used to create employment for the youth as well as create the conditions that the youth will benefit from when they leave the university,” Mr. Greenstreet said.
He added that a CPP government would ensure that what is taught in the classroom will be ‘synchronized’ with what is practiced on the job market in order to eliminate the unemployable graduates syndrome and claimed that both the NPP and NDC have failed to tackle the unemployment situation in Ghana because “both political parties pursue the same philosophy and have the same ideas.”
“We are a wealthy nation with oil, gold, gas, cocoa, timber, diamond, bauxite, fertile lands and most of all strong human beings, and with all of these things, we are not supposed to be poor at all. The same way China took the world by storm, Ghana and Africa can take the world by tsunami,” he said.
Although the NPP had not launched their manifesto as at the time of the dialogue, their representative Dr. Marfo blamed the current Mahama-led government for not being able to address the current unemployment situation which he said is “a security issue”.
He disclosed that the NPP government would create a ‘favourable’ environment for private businesses to thrive and be able to employ a chunk of the country’s unemployed youth.
“In all developed economies, people have been employed through the private sector since lot of jobs are created in this sector. The government of Ghana will not be able to employ all the thousands of students who are coming out of our universities, polytechnics and other tertiary institutions. The NPP will provide a microeconomic environment that is conducive for private businesses,” he stated.
He said, when government creates the enabling environment that allows industry to have access to capital and position them to be competitive within the country and the global market, then businesses will flourish and it will be in the position to employ more people.
The NDC representative, Deputy Chief of Staff Johnny Osei Kofi stated the government will strengthen and expand the youth employment program to provide employment to the youth at all levels of education.
He also reminded the youth about government commitment to support innovative business ideas.
This year’s Y Dialogue series is geared towards the elections in December with both on-air and off-air engagements as well as social media drive with the hashtag #voteonissues. The Vote on Issues Campaign is sponsored by STAR-Ghana and supported by Global Media Alliance, e.TV Ghana, We Rise Foundation and the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition.