Popular Ghanaian musician, Okyeame Kwame, has said that the dwindling fortunes of the economy coupled with the mass nature of unemployment has compelled some citizens to leave the country to abroad.

He bemoaned the high rate of unemployment in the country with 90% of graduates being unable to get jobs readily available after school hence it is a major factor that has led to most of the people leaving the country to seek greener pastures elsewhere.

The musician blamed Ghanaians for the hardship in the country because of the craving for white-collar jobs that are limited in the country but are unwilling to do technical and vocational jobs that are readily available in the country.

When Okyeame Kwame was quizzed on what he thinks are the reasons that account for the recent surge in people wanting to leave the country for abroad, he responded: “I feel there is hardship in the country. They don’t have a choice, where would they work? So I feel that we’ve faltered somewhere.”

He went ahead to explain how the craving for white-collar jobs among graduates has contributed to mass unemployment and the hardship bedeviling Ghanaians.

“Every year about 100,000 people complete their first degrees and diplomas and only 10% get white-collar jobs. The remaining 90% join graduate unemployment programs. With the economy Guggisberg left for us and how the late President Dr. Kwame Nkrumah wanted to make technical and vocational education more vibrant, we couldn’t continue. Everyone is more interested in white-collar jobs,” he said.

He continued: “Everyone wants to work at the MTN office, ministries, and lawyers. My father wanted me to become an accountant by all means because in his mind if you don’t do a white-collar job he doesn’t feel glorified and pleased enough.

"Jobs like carpentry, rap, camera work, and editing those jobs are readily available but we've decided not to do it. All our leaders are into white-collar jobs so we want to be like them,” Okyeame Kwame said in an interview with Angel FM which GhanaWeb monitored.

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People are leaving Ghana because they have no choice…. Everyone wants to work in an office - @Okyeamekwame pic.twitter.com/T8Yu94nw9T

— Kojo Sebor???????? (@kooSebor) October 16, 2023