Finance Minister not taking the future of Ghanaian youth serious – MP

The Member of Parliament for the Sissala West Constituency, Mohammed Adams Sukparu, has criticized the government over the lack of a conducive environment for the youth to venture into private businesses.

The lawmaker believes it’s a responsibility of the government to create the needed enabling environment, establish micro-stability and train the youth with the right skills to venture into their own jobs instead of engaging in advocacy.

According to the legislator, it was inappropriate for the Finance Minister to publicly declare that the government sector was full and that the youth should go into entrepreneurship.

The Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, whilst addressing graduating students of the University of Professional Studies-Accra (UPSA), stated that the government’s payroll is full – making it unsustainable to keep adding to employment figures in the public sector, hence the need for the youth to create their own jobs.

However, in an interview with Bayaga Fatawu at a Private University Students Association’s (PUSAG) handing over ceremony in Accra, Mr Adams Sukparu discounted the minister’s statement. He referred to it as a lack of seriousness on the side of government towards the youth.

He noted, “I do not think that gov’t should be the spokesperson to tell Ghanaian students that our payroll is full and therefore they should look elsewhere, gov’t should rather come out with opportunities create the enabling environment for people who are willing to go into private businesses not to be the person rather advocating, I think the Finance Minister is not taking Ghanaians serious especially we the youth.”

He said if the government doesn’t assist the youth with the needed resources and a friendly business environment, how will they be able to establish themselves financially.

“if you (gov’t) do not provide the enabling environment, you do not assist the citizens with the needed capital, how do you expect them to excel in the aspect of creating their own jobs ” he quizzed.

Adams Sukparu refuted claims by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joe Osei Owusu, that students in Ghana are being miseducated and only interested in certificates.

The MP attributed the inability for students to obtain jobs in Ghana to the government’s lack of vision for the country, saying it’s the role of the government to change courses and restructure the curriculum to produce students who will meet the demands of the job market.

Mr Sukparu doesn’t understand why students should rather be blamed for government irresponsibility, stating that it’s the state that designed the courses without incorporating entrepreneurial and other skills.

“It’s the responsibility of government to ensure the courses are changed; how do you blame a student who has gone to acquire knowledge that has been established; it’s the gov’t that designs the courses for students to go and study, and there’s nothing like any entrepreneurship skills added to the courses, and you are telling them that they’ve been miseducated then you should take the blame not the students,” he alluded.

He said students who are studying vocational and other skills courses in Universities are mostly taught little or no practicality, with the rest based on theory.