Mahama: I’ll create 3m jobs in my second term

President John Dramani Mahama has revealed that his next government will create three million jobs to reduce unemployment in the country.

“Together with a new NDC Government, I will deliver the most ambitious job creation plan for our country. We will implement the Economic Transformation and Livelihood Empowerment Programme (ETLEP), an Initiative that will generate at least three million direct and indirect jobs,” the President wrote on his website.

The President who is on a five-day campaign tour of the Eastern region also outlined 7 policies that will be implemented if he wins the December 7 polls.
The policies include:

• We will increase funding to the Youth Enterprise Support (YES) Initiative from GH¢10 million to GH¢100 million, which means GH¢25 million a year;

• We will create more IT Enabled Service jobs through the completion of the Ghana – Mauritius Technology Park Project among others;

• We will strengthen and expand the operations of the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) to create over three hundred thousand (300,000) jobs;

• We will vigorously pursue the Integrated Aluminum Industry Project, which is anchored on the oil and gas industry;

• We will rejuvenate Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s era factories such as the Asutuare Sugar Factory among others;

• The next NDC Government will employ over 300,000 unskilled people in public works, so that even people with no qualification could get a chance to contribute to our country’s growth and

• The next NDC Government will expand the YEA job creation opportunities from the current 100,000 to 400,000, so that the youth could get more opportunities to work.

President Mahama added “now, there is a general consensus among economic scholars around the world that in urban, developed economies one direct job generates three to five indirect jobs. Of course, Ghana is not such an economy yet, but let’s apply the same ratio here. 1.5 million direct jobs mean at least six million direct and indirect jobs if we apply the ratio of 1 to 3 (i.e. one direct job generating 3 indirect jobs).

“In less developed economies the ratio is even higher– in some instances it goes as high as 1 to 20 (one direct job generating 20 indirect jobs) – but I like to keep my feet on the ground. We are talking about human beings and their destinies here, and as President I cannot and will not treat these matters lightly. I prefer to work with very prudent calculations, 3 million more jobs, instead of giving people false hopes.

“So my extremely cautious estimate is that in the next four years our programmes and policies will generate at least three(3) million direct and indirect jobs. This is, by all accounts, a huge leap forward!”

Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM/Kobina Welsing