The Minister of
Business Development, Dr Ibrahim Awal has expressed worry about the growing
number of unemployed graduates in the country, saying government will not relent in its efforts to improve the
situation.
He said out of about
120,000 graduates produced by universities across the country every year, only
10,000 got employed.
The Minister, who
was speaking at a stakeholder consultative workshop on Draft National
Entrepreneurship Policy in Accra, yesterday, however indicated that failure to
get employed did not mean one could not be successful.
The policy is
aimed at promoting entrepreneurship and easing the funding constraints for both
start-ups and businesses that were already in progress.
Dr Awal urged the
youth to be entrepreneurially minded because “government cannot do all alone
that is why we keep partnering with the private sector to reduce unemployment.
We will keep creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.”
He explained that,
the creation of the Ministry of Business Development alone showed how
passionate government was about creating jobs and wealth for Ghanaians,
especially the youth.
A senior
consultant at Shawbel Consulting Limited, Mr Julian Owusu Boakye, said the
National Entrepreneurship Policy would institute measures and encourage all
manner of entrepreneurs to innovate through human resource development and
capacity building mechanisms.
He indicated that
the policy actions would enable government take steps to bridge the gap between
academia and industry in Ghana, by ensuring that entrepreneurs were offered formal
subjects through community, rural and apprentice training programmes.
“Government will ensure
that teacher training institutions incorporate entrepreneurship and innovation
in the training and licensing examinations for teachers and continue to pursue
innovative and exciting ideas for the youth, to encourage more interest in setting
up their own business,” Mr Boakye added.
The consultant
revealed that, in collaboration with its partners, government would under the
policy, also organise and conduct a special business training programme to provide
basic intermediate and advanced skills training to promising entrepreneurs.
He was confident
that when the attitude of entrepreneurship is successfully inculcated in the
country, unemployment and poverty would reduce reasonably.
By Raissa Sambou
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