Prof. Olivia Frimpong Kwapong, the Board Chairperson of Graphic Communications Group Ltd., has advocated for a cooperation between academics, the business sector, and the informal sector to strategize and harness resources to help create jobs and wealth for the youth.
She claimed that this was required since the government could not fix all of the unemployment issues on its own.
Prof. Kwapong made the announcement on June 14 at the Graphic Business/Stanbic Bank Breakfast Meeting in Accra.
"Because the government is one institution and we are more than the government, we, industry, academics, the private sector, and the informal sector, have a responsibility to assist the unemployed."
"In order for them to survive, we need to enhance their capability, set them up, provide opportunities, monitor them, coach them, and give them leadership direction," she added.
Meeting over breakfast
"Tackling unemployment to create wealth: Opportunities for Ghana," was the theme of the second quarter edition of the thought leadership programme organised by the country's leading business and financial newspaper, the Graphic Business, and the country's leading financial institution, Stanbic Bank Limited.
The event, which was hosted by George Owusu-Ansah, Managing Director (MD) of Unilever, brought together entrepreneurs, academics, and corporate leaders to discuss the unemployment crisis and provide solutions.
It featured a panel discussion with Dr Sarkodie, who spoke on ‘The causes of and solutions to unemployment’; the Managing Consultant of Purple Almond Consulting Services, Florence Hope-Wudu, who spoke on ‘Insights on existing and new opportunities’, and the President of the Private Enterprises Federation (PEF), Nana Osei Bonsu.
Developing wealth
Mr. Owusu-Ansah stated that it was vital for the government to establish employment with the ability to generate wealth and additional jobs in order to build a self-sustaining cycle.
He claimed that while the majority of young people were willing to work hard in order to make a respectable life, the system could not support their earnings, forcing them to settle for little wages despite their efforts.
This, he added, had to end, and he vowed Unilever's commitment to finding solutions to the canker.
Entrepreneurship training programme
The Chief Executive of Stanbic Ghana Limited, Kwamina Nkrumah, outlined a number of efforts being implemented by the bank to assist tackle the country's unemployment problem.
He said that the bank was well positioned to assist entrepreneurs in realising their ambitions, which would contribute to individual business growth as well as the country's general economic prosperity.
"At Stanbic, our brand is built on discovering innovative methods to make aspirations a reality. Parents who want to provide the greatest education for their children, graduates who want to enter the profession and put their newly acquired talents to good use, and young graphic designers, retailers, and technicians who want to catalyse their business goals," he added.