KEY POINTS
- Mahama rejects NABCO, labels it an ineffective job creation scheme.
- Plans to boost job creation through private sector support and growth.
- Youth Employment Agency will be key to sustainable job creation.
President-elect John Dramani Mahama has announced his decision to end reliance on short-term job schemes like the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO). Instead, he plans to focus on sustainable job creation by empowering the private sector and supporting youth employment.
In an interview with VOA on December 14, Mahama criticized NABCO, a program introduced by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government in 2018 to reduce graduate unemployment. He labeled it “ineffective and unsustainable,” claiming it failed to provide lasting job opportunities for Ghanaian youth.
“We are not interested in the artificial job creation measures that have been done in the past, like NABCO, where young people were taken through three years, paid an allowance and promised that they would be graduated into jobs, and at the end of the process, they’ve been abandoned,” Mahama stated.
NABCO was initially designed to offer temporary employment to 100,000 graduates but faced criticism for delayed stipend payments and a lack of permanent job placements. The program officially ended on September 1, 2022, leaving many participants stranded without jobs.
Private sector development at the heart of Mahama’s job strategy
Mahama insists that the key to addressing unemployment lies in supporting the growth of Ghana’s private sector. He argued that the public sector alone cannot meet the employment demands of a population of 33 million people, especially when government institutions employ less than a million workers.
“We think that Ghanaians are not all consigned to become employees. If you look at the government sector, the government sector employs less than a million people out of a population of 33 million. And so, it’s not a viable sector where all the teeming youth can get a job,” Mahama said.
According to Mahama, previous governments have only “paid lip service” to supporting the private sector, but he intends to change that. His administration plans to create meaningful employment by fostering private sector growth and offering support to young entrepreneurs.
“The best place to get a job would be for the private sector to grow. And in the past, we’ve done paid lip service to the private sector. It is time to take the private sector seriously, both in terms of expanding their capacity to employ, but at the same time creating opportunities for young people to create their own jobs,” Mahama said.
This strategy aligns with Ghana’s broader economic goals under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which provides Ghanaian businesses with greater access to trade and export opportunities across Africa.
Youth Employment Agency to play key role in job creation
Unlike previous “artificial” employment initiatives, Mahama intends to maximize the potential of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) as a vital tool for providing youth with the skills and training they need to secure jobs. He believes the YEA can offer a more effective pathway for equipping young Ghanaians with the skills required in the job market.
“We are not going to do those artificial job creation measures. We already have the Youth Employment Agency that is creating those opportunities for training and for orientation for jobs,” Mahama said.
According to Graphic Online, he also highlighted the potential of AfCFTA to create more opportunities for Ghanaian youth, particularly in export-driven production.
“Now that we have the African Continental Free Trade Area, it should be possible for us to encourage Ghanaian businesses to take advantage of that and increase production. So that we can export to other African countries,” Mahama added.
By leveraging the YEA, AfCFTA, and private sector development, Mahama’s strategy aims to create lasting job opportunities for Ghanaian youth while strengthening the economy through expanded trade and business growth.
