The Member of Parliament for Damongo, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has criticised the John Dramani Mahama-led government for what he describes as misplaced priorities in addressing youth unemployment in the country.
Contributing to a statement by the Member of Parliament for Ofoase-Ayirebi, Hon. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, on the rising rate of youth unemployment in Ghana, Mr. Jinapor described the situation as one of the nation’s most pressing challenges and called for practical and sustainable measures to create jobs for young people.
Citing recent labour statistics, the Damongo MP expressed concern over the increasing unemployment rate among the youth and questioned the government’s budgetary allocations towards employment-focused programmes.
According to him, the government has committed GH¢290 million towards the procurement of free sanitary pads, while allocating only GH¢100 million to both the One Million Coders initiative and the Adwumawura Programme combined.
“The government is committed to GH¢290 million to purchase sanitary pads, yet when it comes to the One Million Coders and Adwumawura programmes combined, it is committing only GH¢100 million. That is the question of priority,” he stated.
Mr. Jinapor argued that empowering young women with jobs and sustainable sources of income would enable them to cater for their personal needs, including the purchase of sanitary products.
He further questioned the government’s proposed 24-hour economy policy, insisting that it is not a sufficient solution to the country’s unemployment challenges.
“You cannot create a day economy, you cannot create a 12-hour economy, so how are you going to create a 24-hour economy? The unemployment rate is getting worse,” he said.
The Damongo legislator also attributed the worsening employment situation to declining purchasing power and what he described as inadequate investment in the agricultural sector by the government.
He urged the government to focus on policies that stimulate economic growth, expand opportunities for young people, and provide long-term solutions to unemployment.