The Deputy Information minister of President Atta Mills’ government said
some six months ago that they created 1.6 million jobs within six months of
coming to power and I have waited all this while with the view that he would
be challenged to provide answers to the following:

Where and when were the jobs created?

Where in the economy the jobs were created?

Who among the Ghanaian population occupied those jobs?

Do we still have any form of unemployment in Ghana? And if yes, then why?

However, it was not until last Wednesday that the Parliament of the Republic
of Ghana spearheaded by the Minority, sought clarification and I am very sad
and disappointed that, Ghana, with so many universities and research
institutions could not challenge those figures until yesterday. We have
allowed government free rein and because of that those in power stand
anywhere at all and make pronouncements unworthy of the country our founding
fathers built.

If non governmental organisations, businesses, the academic and research
institutions can’t challenge falsehood on matters that are fundamental to
the lives of the population, then I am beginning to believe that Ghana’s
education is no longer the premium it used to be when the rest of the world
depended on us to produce skills to fill vacancies in international
institutions and organisations. Why have Ghanaians chosen to keep quiet as
if only the New Patriotic Party sees things differently from the rest of us?
When the NPP challenge the NDC on falsehood, fabrications and distortions,
they are not doing that just because they want to come back to power. No, we
are challenging them because they told the whole world that despite the fact
that we had:

1. Brought unemployment down from the abysmal 68% it was in 2000 to 20% in
our first year in power and this percentage eventually settled at 11% of the
active and working population.

2. We grew the GDP from the 3.7% it was when we came to power to 7.3% by the
time we left office, something the NDC fought very hard to malign but which
the World Bank resisted that it was factual.

I want Ghanaians to see the table below and make their own deductions about
Okudjeto Abalkwah’s (that young man who is achieving a PhD in lies)
assertion that they created 1.6million jobs within six months of coming to
power.

I made the following study from the recently concluded Population census
data:

Ghana has 8.3million of boys and girls between the age of 0 -14years and
they form 37.2% of the population. They are supposed to be full time in
education institutions.

15- 64 years, the active and working population form 59.2% or 14.2 million
men and women that should be working on daily basis in Ghana, and if the NDC
government was truly creating jobs, they are the target group. If the table
below is to be relied upon, it will mean that, if the unemployment rate is
11%, then we would expect that 1.56million are unemployed in Ghana.
(1,560,000 people). Remember that this a conservative figure by including
the 15 years to 18 years)

Therefore, the Unemployment before Ablakwah’s jobs were created stood at
1,560,000 and because we are lucky to get a government that is expert in job
creation, 1,600,000 jobs were created leaving Ghana to be a FULL EMPLOYMENT
nation. Ghana therefore should have to encourage EXPATRIATES from abroad to
come and occupy the 40,000 vacancies that can’t be filled.

This is a very serious issue that needs to be attacked by all Ghanaians. The
government of President Atta Mills is telling us that there is no
UNEMPLOYMENT in Ghana. It is no longer a question that the government should
answer but rather, all the following people:

1. Fathers and mothers of Ghana who have kids, nephews, nieces, brothers and
sisters etc. between the ages 18 years to 64 years, are they all working?

2. Are there school leavers who have no jobs in Ghana?

3. Are there graduates who have completed their universities and colleges
who are not working?

4. Do we have any Post- Graduates in Ghana who are not working?



Year

Unemployment rate

Rank

Percent Change

Date of Information

2003

20.00 %

48



1997 est.

2004

20.00 %

46

0.00 %

1997 est.

2005

20.00 %

150

0.00 %

1997 est.

2006

20.00 %

159

0.00 %

1997 est.

2007

20.00 %

160

0.00 %

1997 est.

2008

11.00 %

128

-45.00 %

2000 est.

2009

11.00 %

130

0.00 %

2000 est.

2010

11.00 %

124

0.00 %

2000 est.

2011

11.00 %

121

0.00 %

2000 est.

Definition: This entry contains the percent of the labour force that is
without jobs.

Substantial underemployment might be noted.
Source: CIA World
Factbook-
Unless otherwise noted, information in this page is accurate as of
March
11, 2010

SOURCE: Kofi Owusu-Ansah