Professor Godfred Alufar Bokpin of the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS) is unhappy and urging Ghanaians not to overly put their faith in politicians to create true and real jobs for the teaming unemployed youth of the country.
Like any other developing country, Ghana has had its fair share of unemployment at all levels coupled with the brain drain of its working-class seeking opportunities elsewhere.
The University Don in Finance and Economics, speaking in Kumasi at an SME clinic, took on the nation’s politicians who preach about creating jobs and opportunities for the youth but only end up creating cosmetic business opportunities that fizzled out in no time without creating the needed impact in the economy for the country.
“What the politicians do is to create quasi-jobs, not real jobs. It takes the private sector to create jobs. They know this because they say the private sector is the growth engine. We must allow SMEs to grow to become big and real jobs that can employ more”
“It is time we really empower the private sector to do more for the growth of the economy. We don’t have the foundation for development and that is the problem”
He believes Ghanaians need to disabuse their mind of politicians doing everything and rather focuses on giving the private sector and entrepreneurs the opportunity to grow their businesses, thereby impacting the economy.
“The focus must be the private sector; the growth must come from indigenous businesses who will create businesses that can hold the economy together. If we fail at this, the country will remain where it is,” he said