Mustapha Hamid
The Information Minister, Mustapha Hamid is debunking claims that people who are enrolled into government’s flagship programme, Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) will be jobless after three years.
According to him, the government has put in place measures that will help the recruits to secure permanent jobs at the end of the three years.
“In the course of the three year period that they are on the NABCO programme, our expectation is that they will develop their skills, improve their professional competences and at the end of the period, they would have acquired the skills, training and the kind of qualification upgrade that will be required to ease them into permanent jobs,” he said on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Friday.
The president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on May Day launched the NABCO programme which is expected to, this year alone, employ some 100,000 young men and women to assist the public sector service delivery needs of the country.
According to President Akufo-Addo, the programme will deliver jobs in prioritized areas defined under seven modules: Educate Ghana, Heal Ghana, Feed Ghana, Revenue Ghana, Digitise Ghana, Enterprise Ghana and Civic Ghana.
Placement on NABCO will last for a period of three years and recruits will be paid a stipend of GHS700 every month. Prospective applicants would have to log on to the programme’s website, www.nabco.gov.gh to fill out application forms at no cost or charge when applications open on June 1, 2018.
The rationale for the programme, the president explained, was to end the grim story of youth unemployment that has been a tragic part of the lives of Ghanaians for far too long.
The situation, he noted has been made even worse by the ban placed on public sector employment by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
But even before the scheme starts enrolment, a section of the public has cast doubts on its viability. While others complained about the allowance, others feared those recruited will end up unemployed at the end of the three year period.
But Mr Hamid says that will not be the case.
He indicated that even if they are unable to establish their own businesses, within or after the three year period, government’s industrial development plan will absorb them.
“We hope that in the course of the three years, any of them will find permanent jobs and exit the programme. We are hoping that the one district one factory will also be an avenue in the course of the three year period to absorb these people into permanent jobs,” he said.
He also noted that an enterprise module which is part of the programme will allow the private sector to employ some of the recruits by the end of the three year period.
“We want to be able to entice private sector enough to be able to absorb these people and it is our hope and confidence that by the end of the three years we will not be recycling 100,000 people back into the unemployment market,” he added.
-Myjoyonline