Govt tasked to liaise with private sector to create jobs

The Government has been urged to liaise with the private sector to create jobs for the teeming unemployed youth.

This is because youth unemployment poses a major security threat to the nation and good governance.

According to the Chief Executive Officer of Agricbusiness in Sustainable Natural African Plant Products (ASNAPP), Mr Dan Acquaye, the youth accounted for about 60 per cent of the unemployed in the country and that could pose a great security risk to the country as armed robbery and prostitution would be on the increase.

In his view, if the government and private sector failed to generate jobs for the unemployed youth, they would be compelled to engage in anti-social activities such as arm robbery which would not augur well for the democracy and peace of the country.

This negative trend if allowed to prevail, he said, could adversely affect the flow of foreign investment into the country as investors would not create jobs in conflict prone countries. He said that the job needs of the youth could be solved through agricbusiness.

Opportunity actualisation

Mr Acquaye, who was speaking at the launch of  Entrepreneurship for Opportunity Actualisation which seeks to bridge the gap between research institutions and industry through mentoring and internship, stressed that agribusiness provided the largest job opportunities that could help reduce the effects of unemployment.

“Agricbusiness provides more opportunities for the country more than information technology, oil and gas industry or banking and finance,”  he stressed.

He said currently ASNAAP had found internship for 100 graduates and was poised to increase it to 500 interns under Entrepreneurship For Opportunity Actualisation sponsored by Africa Lead and USAID.

Youth Employment Agency

The Chief Executive Officer of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) of the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, Mr Kobina Ebo Beechem, said the government had realised the security threat posed by unemployment and has directed the Ministry of Employment to create 100,000 jobs for the youth in the country through modules such as Youth in Sanitation, Youth in Health as well as Youth in Agriculture.

He said in Agricbusiness alone, the YEA was expected to create about 10,0000 job avenues annually.

Mr Beechem, therefore, called on the private sector to take advantage of the modules established by the government and take as many interns as possible since the allowances of the interns would be borne by the government while they acquired practical skills on the job.

Security experts have stated that there is a linkage between youth unemployment and  the rise in anti-social activities such as armed robbery, internet fraud and drug trade and abuse, gun running and prostitution.