The youth of Ghana are not interested in creating employment opportunities for themselves, the Bolgatanga Municipal Director of the National Youth Authority (NYA) has observed.
According to Madam Clare Maar, although the youth are being encouraged to venture into entrepreneurship as there are not enough available job opportunities for them, most of them are reluctant of starting their own businesses and are still relying heavily on the state for employment.
This, she said, is the reason most of the youth are not taking skills training the NYA is offering them seriously. She noted that although the agency has trained many youths across the country in various vocations that do not require huge capital to start, most of them have refused to start a trade with the excuse that they do not have startup capital and the few who started trades have their businesses folding up as they failed to take the training seriously.
“You would train them, ask them to find jobs on their own or to sell something but still, they would tell you ‘madam, I don’t have the resources, I can’t get money to start’. Just last month, we trained 50 youth in Bongo on liquid soap making and leather bag weaving and how to do ‘powerazone’ but some of them as at now, they will tell you that they don’t have the capital to start and even some of them when you give them the capital, the business will collapse even if they start it because of how they package the business,” she stated in an interview on Dreamz FM’s Breakfast Today.
Madam Clare Maar added that even when they are provided with the capital, they will squandered them and continue to complain about their inability to secure jobs. She disclosed instances where the NYA solicited startup capital for some youth who received training in various trades yet they refused to set up their own businesses with the excuse that the capital is inadequate.
“The training they receive will be effective if they are serious. You can give money to people they will spend and still be sitting down. But when you really want to work and you get the necessary training, at least, you should be able to start to do something. But if you give them the money, some can still give you another excuse that the money will not be enough for the things that they are going to buy.
Even with those we trained on digital marketing and gave them the phones, some of them when you trace them now, they will even tell you the phone has spoilt. But if you are serious and we give you the skill training, you can start to do something on your own not necessarily putting money in your pocket. That is why we don’t train them on businesses that require huge capital to start”.
She added “These youth when you give them money the next time, you will see them still roaming around and say no job. When you ask them, they will tell you another story. So it is about how serious you are”.
The NYA Municipal Director further observed that most of the youngsters particularly those who graduated from the tertiary level with first and second degrees see self-employment as demeaning hence, their refusal to venture into entrepreneurship.
“Everybody will tell you there is no job, so they should create jobs for themselves. But their mentality is that they can’t finished school with degrees and masters and you ask them to create their own jobs”.
Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, in October this year, urged graduates from the various tertiary institutions to find innovative ways of creating their own jobs. This, he indicated, is necessary to reduce the unemployment rate in the country as he disclosed that government’s payroll is full and therefore, could not accommodate the many youth seeking employment.
The government has since announced various policies including the YouthStart programme aimed at encouraging young men and women in the country to venture into entrepreneurship.
