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Opinions of Tuesday, 28 July 2020

Columnist: Kinnock Wovenu

Money for vote is killing the country

Kinnock Wovenu, Writer Kinnock Wovenu, Writer

I won't pay anyone for votes but I will create jobs for my people if I win as MP - Wovenu Kinnock Kedem the Parliamentary Candidate, APC- Ketu-North constituency, said.

Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day; teach him how to fish, and he will
be able to feed himself for the rest of his life. This is an old cliché, and like all clichés it has an element of wisdom. But, it does not go far enough.

A fisherman with a simple rod and a canoe will not go hungry, but he will still be poor. For him to rise above poverty, he needs steady employment at reasonable wages in a commercial fishing company. Now his daughter might move
up the development ladder and go on to become an engineer.

To escape from poverty, the poor need productive jobs that lead to higher income. Reducing poverty through employment requires three major thrusts:

1. generate/ create employment

2. increase employability

3. make the labor markets more efficient. The first thrust works on the demand side of the labor market by creating job opportunities appropriate to the skills of the poor.

The second thrust works on the supply side of the labor market by increasing the employability of the poor through education and vocational training programs.

I will therefore not pay anyone for a vote but will plead with them to give me the mandate to help them. My vision is to create more jobs in the constituency, get the youths busy and everyone will live comfortably.

If I fail you for the first four years in power, I won't even contest again.
Ketu North Deserves Better. And I want to bring that change through you all. Help me and you will have reasons to smile again.

Rather than discussing all the things that need to be done to generate employment, I argue for choosing a “good enough” starting point and taking some action.

I do not suggest that I am the best or the only starting point, just that I am an effective and feasible person to start with.

Increasing the employability of the poor is also a complex challenge that
requires a variety of public policies and private strategies. The central issue inincreasing employability is, of course, education, including vocational training and retraining.

Creating something out of our own resources and rebranding is what will make our constituency and the constituents stand out.

The most effective way to reduce poverty is to create jobs.

The World Bank is estimating that over the next 15 years, it will be necessary to create at least 40 million new jobs worldwide every year.

If we fail to create growth and jobs in our constituency, we will be creating breeding grounds for more poverty and instability. It is particularly important to boost growth and employment in our constituency in Ghana, where there is a high proportion of young people.

Do not take money from anyone and vote for them. We need jobs and we deserve better.