In what could be described as a novel move, unemployed graduates in the country have resolved to team up with key stakeholders in a new direction that seeks to help solve Ghana’s unemployment rate.
Unemployed graduates have over the years been lamenting over what they say is the high rate of unemployment in the country, especially among the youth most of whom have graduated with degrees.
But the graduates say they have now recognised they have a part to play in ensuring that people get employment, saying they “see it as a responsibility to help find solution” to unemployment.
Consequently, effective August this year, the people who form the Unemployed Graduates Association of Ghana (UGAG), will begin a series of engagement with key institutions in the country to understand the real issues of unemployment and how they can help to address it.
“We believe that by engaging these stakeholders, we will get an opportunity to know how best they understand the present situation, after which ideas can be shared to bring about a lasting and practical solution to unemployment,” the group said in a statement.
They intend to engage the Ghana Statistical Service to find out why Ghana lacks credible data on unemployment and what is being done to gather such data.
Also to be engaged in this initiative are the Registrar General’s Department, IMANI, Institute of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, Youth Enterprise Support, the economic management teams of the various political parties and their flagbearers.
Others are the Ghana Police Service, embassies of Ghana’s donor partners, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Science and Technology, Association of Ghana Industries, Trade Union Congress, Ghana Employers Association and University administrators among others.
“Ghana is struggling with a high rate of youth unemployment and UGAG sees it as a responsibility to help find solutions to this problem,” the group said.
They added: “We have a huge interest in listening to stakeholders, and meeting them will create a platform to know what their challenges are in executing their responsibilities and how best we can collaborate to see massive change.”
The group intends to issue what it says will be a comprehensive report which would offer more insight into Ghana’s unemployment and how to deal with it.
By Stephen Kwabena Effah|3news.com|Ghana
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