Unemployment: I’ll be surprised if NPP gets 30% in next elections – Toobu

Member of Parliament for Wa West, Peter Lanchene Toobu, has said the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has performed poorly in the area of job creation for the youth.

This, he said, will affect the fortunes of the NPP in the next general elections.

He said on the Key Points on TV3/3FM Saturday, October 30 with host Dzifa Bampho that he will be surprised if the NPP gets 30 per cent in the 2024 elections.

“If they get 30 per cent I will be very surprised,” he said, adding that “Ghanaians are yearning to change the government.”

He was contributing to a discussion on the recruitment into the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) and the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS). In his view, youth unemployment is a threat to national security in Ghana.

Thousands of Ghanaian youth continue to queue to be enlisted into the various security services.

Earlier this week, hundreds massed up at the El-Wak Stadium in Accra to start recruitment processes into the Ghana Immigration Service.

Scenes from the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, where thousands of applicants running to secure spots in queues, have been flooding social media, raising concerns on shifting from the old ways of screening and enlisting applicants into security services and forces.

Peter Lanchene Toobu who is also a retired Police Officer said “What is happening right now in the security sector is just a simple sign that what is written in the national security strategy that youth unemployment remains the greatest threat to our national security, a true statement.

“Couldn’t we have done this better? As a member of the Defence and Interior committee with oversight responsibility on the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of National security, I am sure that all of us are beginning to look at this differently.”

The member of the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament added “When I joined the Police in 1992, what I have seen apart from the initial online application, there is no change. What it means is that for over almost 30 years we have actually not changed the system so much.

“Technology is transforming the whole world and gradually, we should begin to simplify some of these processes to ensure that these young people who are readily frustrated can actually get recruited in a very dignified and in a very humane manner.

“Looking at what is happening, sometimes we say that you need to have a feel of what its like to get into the job but gradually, the psychological impact on these young people before they get recruited can be lasting for their lifetime, lasting for their career. So, I think that we should begin to look at it differently using technology. We can shorten the process, we can simplify the process.”

For his part, Mr Alfred Thompson, a former Managing Director of the National Investment Bank said the NPP administration has introduced a number of initiatives including the Nations Builder Corps (NABCO) to assist the youth of this country.

He challenged the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to point to one initiative they introduced to assist the youth in the area of employment.