[ 2011-04-12 ]

K. B Asante: Government officials must shut up and deal with unemployment menace
Renowned diplomat and statesman, K.B. Asante, says
it is about time politicians focused on dealing
with the unemployment situation facing the country
instead of focusing on unnecessary arguments on
radio and television.

K.B. Asante explained that politicians today only
focus on talking and thinking about winning
elections and how to score cheap political points
rather than tackling the real issues confronting
the nation.

“Now it appears all we are doing is working
towards the next elections; to be elected to
power, we do not channel our efforts towards the
developmental issues in the country,” he added.

According to him, Ministers and government
officials should stop talking to radio and
television stations and instead concentrate on
issues of national importance.

K.B Asante was commenting on the high unemployment
rate in the country especially among graduate
students on Dwaso Nsem on Adom FM on Monday.

The renowned Diplomat emphasized that leaders must
draw up proposals and policies to deal with
unemployment.

He stated that Ghana’s educational system is not
the reason for the high unemployment but the
failure of the nation’s leaders to create
enabling environment for employment.

He said in years past, people never held MBAs and
other high qualifications but they were able to
plan very well for the country’s education
sector.

Also commenting on the same topic was Divine
Nkrumah, the Coordinator and Leader of the
Unemployed Graduate Association of Ghana (UGAG), a
non-partisan organization, who said successive
government had failed in creating the necessary
conditions for the private sector to develop.

“The NDC government and the erstwhile Kufour
administration have failed the youth of this
country and continue to subject the young
graduates of this nation to undue deprivation of
better job opportunities,” he said.

He revealed that there are about 650,000
unemployed graduates in the country and said that
meant a bona fide negligence and a disappointment
on the part of the government of the day.

Divine Nkrumah said in the past, unemployment was
limited to only illiterates but today, it has
affected JHS and SSS leavers adding that it was
quite sad that tertiary education graduates have
also become vulnerable to this syndrome.

“It is not astonishing that the nation is
currently grappling with the unfortunate situation
of street hawkers, 'Sakawa', prostitution, armed
robbery and other social vices which have also
contributed to overcrowding on the resources of
the cities,” he stated.

He warned that very soon, they we are going to hit
the streets if the government fails to evolve
strategies to resolve the unemployment issue.

The Labour Commission of Ghana estimates the
number of unemployed graduates at over 700,000 and
it comprises graduates who studied from
Archaeology to Zoology.

Source - Adomfm

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