Let’s collaborate on how to mitigate unemployment – Kwamina Asomaning

Chief Executive of Stanbic Bank Ghana, Kwamina Asomaning, has called on all relevant stakeholders to think collaboratively on how the issue of unemployment in the country can be mitigated. Speaking at the 2022 quarter two edition of the Graphic Business Stanbic Bank Breakfast Meeting in Accra, Mr. Asomaning said the issue of unemployment is age-old and what is critical is finding ways to solve it.

He said “Whilst the issue of unemployment isn’t up for debate, what we can collaborate our thinking on is how the issue can be mitigated in our own spheres of influence. In the absence of having an offer of employment from an established institution, we should expect to support those who are willing and able to create their own marketplace and employment opportunities.”

Kwamina Asomaning also encouraged the country to see the problem of unemployment as a national one instead of associating it with the youth. According to him, “We as a society, are often at risk of associating unemployment with the youth.

And yes – it is a problem that our young adult citizens contend with all too often. However, unemployment doesn’t necessarily know a specific age. We see older adults in our community who either haven’t been able to acquire the right skills and training to apply to a vocation or those who have struggled to match their existing skillset to the opportunities available in the job market.”

He went on to mention some critical interventions Stanbic Bank has put in place to help address unemployment in the country. Mr. Asomaning said, “At Stanbic Bank our brand promise centers around finding new ways to make dreams possible; the dreams of parents wanting to offer their children the best education, the dreams of graduates wanting to enter into the workforce and put their newly acquired skills to good use, and equally the dreams of the budding graphic designer, retailer, or technician to catalyze their business aspirations.”

“Where those working-age adults are concerned, we at Stanbic are superbly positioned to support entrepreneurs with fuelling their dreams which lead to individual business development and Ghana’s overall economic growth. After all, a significant part of our business caters to the needs of small to medium-sized enterprises.

Our clients directly benefit, not just from us offering suitable financial products to support their businesses, but also from us taking a genuine interest in enabling their work through skills support,” he added.

The Graphic Business Stanbic Bank Breakfast Meeting is a quarterly event that brings together industry players, policymakers, civil society, and academia to deliberate on critical issues of national development. The topics for discussions are curated to respond to prevailing circumstances in the country. The topic for the 2022 second quarter edition was “Tackling unemployment to create wealth: opportunities for Ghana”.

The panel included Nana Osei Bonsu of the Private Enterprise Federation (PEF), Florence Hope-Wudu, Managing Consultant, Almond Consulting Services, and Dr. Adu Owusu Sarkodie an Economics Lecturer at the University of Ghana.