Kofi Ofosu Nkansah, former Chief Executive Officer of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), has raised concerns about the John Mahama government’s ability to create jobs for unemployed youth.
This comes after the government announced plans to scrap initiatives such as 1D1F and Youstart, which were introduced by the previous administration to promote entrepreneurship and job creation.
According to Ofosu Nkansah, the Akufo-Addo government had allocated significant funds to support youth entrepreneurship and skills development.
For instance, the Ghana Enterprise Agency (GEA) had provided USD 200 million for the Youstart program, while the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET) had allocated USD 200 million for the Skills Development Fund. Additionally, the government had implemented other initiatives such as the Ghana Jobs and Skills Project (GJSP) and the Ghana Entrepreneurship and Innovation Support (GETP).
Despite these efforts, Ofosu Nkansah in a post on his Facebook page notes that the expected job creation outcomes were not achieved.
He therefore questions the wisdom of the Mahama government’s decision to scrap these initiatives and allocate less than USD 40 million for youth programs.
“If USD 200 million for GJSP Youstart from GEA, USD 200 million from CTVET for Skills Development Fund plus GETP and many other interventions couldn’t create the expected jobs, then you wonder what less than the USD 40 million allocated for youth Programs can do,” he asks.
The concerns raised by Ofosu Nkansah are timely, given the high levels of unemployment among Ghanaian youth.
According to recent statistics, the youth unemployment rate in Ghana stands at over 50%.
This has significant implications for the country’s economic growth and social stability. As the Mahama government navigates its economic policies, it is essential that it prioritizes job creation and entrepreneurship support for young people.
-BY Daniel Bampoe
