General News of Saturday, 1 December 2012

Source: UGAG

Statement: NDC and GIPC are Wicked - Unemployed Graduates

We the members of the Unemployed Graduates Association of Ghana (UGAG) have monitored and followed the issues surrounding the Ghana Investment Promotion Council and the NDC for some time now and we have come to realisation that members of this government are not interested in creating Jobs for the Youth of this country.

Whiles majority of our members are seeking for small amounts of loans to set up their own businesses, the GIPC which is a body charged with the responsibility of promoting investment in this country is needlessly meddling itself in politics.

We like to put it on record that if twenty Thousand Ghana Cedis (GHC 20,000) was given to UGAG, it could set up jobs for about 40 of our members thus reducing the unemployment mantra by some number. We have on several occasions lamented that one of the main challenges of our members is the ability to get credit to set up their own businesses. We have very good business ideas yet there is no money to set up such business ventures since no bank in Ghana is willing to give credit to young graduates who have no experience and not collateral. The government of this country led by the NDC is making it difficult for investments to take place and this GIPC saga is an evidence of our story.

A few days ago, we addressed the press and stated that we are not convinced by the Job Policies of the 4 parties with representation in parliament especially that of the NDC. We wish to urge all unemployed graduates in the country to open their eyes and see the deceit that is preached by the politicians of today.

We also wish to tell the politicians not to allow majority of Ghanaians to lose faith in the democratic process. Because if a free society cannot be fair to the many who are poor, it can equally not be safe for the few who are rich.

The actions of the management and Board of the GIPC in supporting NDC and its appendages with funds should be condemned by all. It is outrageous to give a board chairman a whooping GHC 20,000 as birthday gift, when the organisation on which he chairs, has failed in ensuring its core mandate of promoting investments which by necessity must lead to Job creation.

Long live Ghana!! Short live Graduate unemployment!!