Business News of Thursday, 30 September 2004

Source: GNA

Many opportunities to earn income in Ghana - Prof

Ho, Sept. 30, GNA - Professor Stephen Adei, Director-General GIMPA on Wednesday said he could not fathom why people repeatedly complain about unemployment in the midst of abundant opportunities to earn income in Ghana.

He said the trend among young people to remain unemployed while yearning only for particular jobs was unwise. Professor Adei was addressing a Business Forum of the Calvary Baptist Church in Ho as part of the Church's 15th Anniversary Celebration.

He said young people without jobs, including Senior Secondary School (SSS) leavers, might have to decide to under go skills training to earn a living.

Professor Adei said the older ones among the unemployed should confound people by taking up jobs perceived as low grade to accumulate capital and go into business.

Professor Adei who spoke on the topic "Creation of Wealth for Personal and Church Development," expressed dismay at the poor savings habit among Ghanaians.

"No matter how small your income is, you can't spend it all," the GIMPA Director-General stated.

He said everybody must have a financial blueprint as a guide in life, saying there was no other way one could become rich but through planning and prudent spending.

Professor Adei said it was not unchristian to be rich, but wrong for a Christian to seek money through corrupt means.

He said no one could become rich overnight without being unrighteous, adding "it takes time to be rich if you are not going to gamble or steal."

Professor Adei said it was not how much one was paid that made the difference but how well one invested.

Touching on some examples of needless spending, he observed that there were many people with cars who did not need them because it only distorted their finances.

He also derided the practice among Ghanaians to spend heavily on weddings only to embroil many couples in debts "for the next 10 years".

Professor Adei recommended investments in the stock market and mutual funds among others and advised that an investment club be formed in the Church immediately to inculcate the habit of savings in the congregation.

He said if one honoured God with substance and invested properly, becoming rich was almost automatic. 30 Sep. 04