Professor Peter Quartey, Economist and Director of ISSER
•An economics professor has called for private sector participation to achieve govt’s one million jobs agenda
•He believes the move will only be successful depending on the private sectors’ response
•Government through the Finance Minister in the mid-year budget announced an ambitious plan to create jobs for the youth
Director of the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), Professor Peter Quartey has indicated government’s resolve to create one million jobs will adversely depend on the response of the private sector.
According to him, the successful implementation of the jobs agenda will primarily be hinged on the participation of the private sector to assist in creating the said jobs.
“We need the jobs; yes, we need even more than the one million that has been targeted. But the question is the how and whether we are able to do that because government has to partner with the private sector. So, the success of it will depend on the private sector’s response.”
“If the private sector responds positively, then, we are likely to generate more of this. So, it has to be done and done well. It is a feasible target but it will depend on the private sector’s response to participate,”
Professor Peter Quartey said this during ISSER’s post budget analysis held at the University of Ghana on Monday, August 3, 2021.
At this year’s mid-year budget presentation, Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta announced government’s ambitious plan to deliver one million jobs for the youth over the next three to four years.
The initiative which will be facilitated through the Ghana Coronavirus Alleviation and Revitalisation of Enterprises Support (Ghana CARES) programme is intended to promote and support the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), new ventures and start-ups.
Already Ghana is facing an unemployment crisis with many quarters not able to find sustainable jobs which has forced many to resort to entrepreneurial means of earning an income.
Data available shows that 600,000 people out of the total labour force of over 12 million are not gainfully employed with analyst warning the figure is likely to increase if sustainable interventions are not put in place.