Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would like to support this very important Statement made by Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah.
Indeed, employment issues are issues that I think, in my opinion, have not been given the needed attention over the years and it is one of the most important areas that we cannot actually heap scorn on, but rather give it the needed attention that it deserves. But Mr Speaker, before we can do that, we need to situate it in the right context as a country and deal with the underlying factors or the independent variables that have contributed to this unacceptable situation we find ourselves in when it comes to the unemployment rate.
Mr Speaker, an unemployment rate is basically about those in the labour force who are looking for jobs, but they do not have. How do we deal with such a situation? In modern day socioeconomic development or ecosystem, the concentration basically is on the private sector. So, I believe that any government and policymaker, that will be able to deal with the private sector aspect and make sure that the private sector is accorded the needed opportunity and incentives and resources and cooperation and support—Mr Speaker, thank you very much.
Any Government that will be able to do that definitely will let us attain that goal or objective that we need. Mr Speaker, we have a very weak entrepreneurial ecosystem as a country. Any government can give, for example, US$1 billion to all the entrepreneurs, investors or business actors in our country. Even without interest rate, I can assure you, within a year or two, we are not going to get expected results. So, I suggest that as much as we need capital for them, we need specific policies for them.
Our entrepreneurial ecosystem, which is weak as a result of weak actors in that segment must be given the needed orientation and training, not only on the financial aspect.
Two, any government that is in place, must demonstrate that readiness, preparedness and ability to do that. It is very unfortunate that my Brothers from the other Side gave us hope and sang ɔde asem paa na aba, to wit, he has brought good news, the 24-Hour Economy, the Big Push—All these models were supposed to give us employment. Now when you ask National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament about the Big Push, they will ask you to go to Korle Gonno; it is in the gutters; they have pushed it into the gutters.
Mr Speaker, it is very unfortunate. Now, with the 24-Hour Economy, we are not even experiencing a one-minute economy. How can we create jobs? This comes to the point that, they do not conduct the needed research before they give Ghanaians policies and programmes and manifesto. They lack the requisite research that they need, without the needed data— They need data because the basis for decision-making is information. They do not even have the requisite data and preparation. They only wrote that in their manifesto just to deceive Ghanaians. I have seen most of the Ghanaian young ones; when you go to Circle, Kejetia, Kantamanto and Takoradi, all the young guys have given up hope in this government. This is because they have been deceived.
Mr Speaker, as much as we write in our manifestos, with the intention of creating jobs, my input this afternoon is that, political parties must conduct the right research and get the right data with integrity and provide the right needed value chains before they promise Ghanaians. Other than that, we will always manage that propaganda economy and create a mirage of jobs while they are not there.
Mr Speaker, one of the things is also how we abuse State resources, the misuse of funds. Because we need those funds to get to the private sector to create jobs—