Ken Ofori-Atta
GOVERNMENT HAS announced it intends to scale up support to young entrepreneurs and fledgling businesses, with a singular aim to create sustainable jobs across all communities.
Ken Ofori Atta, Minister of Finance, who disclosed this Wednesday when he presented the 2024 budget to Parliament in Accra, said this was in pursuance of the potential to upscale and the multiplier effects that small and medium-sized businesses possessed.
He said in view of this, his outfit had teamed up with MIDA and was committing GH¢1 billion to ensure that Ghana’s Enclave Project for import substitution was successful.
Also, he noted, “Mr. Speaker, I am happy to announce that YEA is about concluding negotiation with CCI, the business process outsource (BPO) operator in sub-Saharan Africa for the establishment of a call centre that can see the direct creation of 20,000 local jobs for our young graduates.
“Office space has already been secured. Our goal is to realise Ghana’s potential to become a global BPO powerhouse, employing over 250,000 Ghanaians over the next few years. Ultimately, our ambition remains to build an entrepreneurial nation and create an additional minimum of 1 million jobs for the Ghanaian youth over the near-term. We have done this before with 2 million jobs in years, but we must move faster.”
Additionally, he noted, “Mr. Speaker, we are also positioning a generation of Ghanaians to secure our leadership in the global arena. Today, our country hosts the headquarters of the AfCFTA. We also have a privileged position in leading the climate change charge. As the agreed host of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) Secretariat, we are galvanising the coalition of 68 nations and 1.7 billion people to shape the climate discourse and secure resources for a just energy transition.”
Mr. Ofori-Atta mentioned that “Ghana has paid its dues, has turned the corner, and getting back on track. Despite these successes, we have to do more to reinforce our stability and guarantee decent jobs with good pay for the young people. As such, through the 2024 Budget, we will deliver even more investment across the real sector to place our economy on a firm growth trajectory that will create more jobs, safeguards our climate prospects and deeply entrench Ghana as the seed country for Africa’s development renaissance.
“We will, through the Ghana Mutual Prosperity Dialogue, be intentional about collaborating with the private sector and our development partners to support local businesses attract FDI and enhance the economic prospects of our people.”
BY Samuel Boadi