‘Unemployment Is A Time-Bomb That Can Create Instability’

Mr Prince Bagnaba Mba, President of Forum for National Equity, a non-profit making organisation has stated that unemployment was a time-bomb that could blast and escalate beyond the borders of the country if not properly handled.

“Most developing countries that have high rates of unemployment especially among the youth can easily be thrown into the state of lawlessness and instability.”

Mr Mba who was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on unemployment and mitigations in Accra said there was the need for countries to act speedily by creating jobs and other avenues that could absorb all qualified professionals that were unemployed.

He suggested to the government to consider the option of exporting Ghana’s skilled labour to other countries that needed their services and expertise to grow their economies.

He said just like Cuba and other countries were exporting their medical doctors to other countries to work for a while, Ghana could also export engineers, Nurses, Teachers, Architects, Planners Economists and sanitation, Hygiene and veterinary officers to countries that were interested in their services.

This he suggested, government could do smoothly by engaging receiving countries to state their interest and sign agreements to pay their salaries and other remunerations for the agreed number of years.

Mr Mba said the exportation could also solve the current system, where trained teachers, Nurses, Sanitation and Hygiene officers were waiting for so many years to be engaged after the completion of their respective courses.

“There are so many countries, especially in the West African sub-region that are looking for professionals and if we are able to work that out, it will go a long way to reduce the high unemployment rate the country is experiencing,” Mr Mba added.

According to the Ghana Labour Force Survey Report by the Ghana Statistical Service, Ghana’s unemployed rate was 11.9 per cent in 2015 although it was based on a relaxed definition, where ‘one was available for work and not working within the last seven days before an interview.”

Mr Mba called on government to strengthen institutions that could create an enabling environment for creation of jobs to absorb the teeming graduates from the country’s tertiary institutions.

Ghana has a comparative advantage in the training of these professionals because of our numerous training institutions and we really have to take that opportunity to make a difference in other countries.”