Editorial
Creation of youth employment in wake of COVID-19: Laudable initiative
In the wake of COVID-19 where many businesses in the country have collapsed leading to loss of jobs, it is refreshing to know that there is still hope for the Ghanaian youth, especially women.
An initiative by the government to create employment and income generating opportunities for 39,000 young people by 2022 is laudable as reports say that the COVID-19 pandemic has had adverse effects on businesses.
This initiative, by the National Board for Small-Scale Industries (NBSSI) in collaboration with the MasterCard Foundation’s Young Africa Works Project, a Canadian non-profit organisation was launched recently in Accra by the First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo to address the issue of unemployment in the country.
It is hoped that the three-year project, dubbed, “Creating Dignified and Sustainable Work for Ghana’s Young People”, which is aligned with the government’s Ghana Beyond Aid agenda would help improve entrepreneurship, provide jobs for young people and also boost businesses in the country to improve the economy.
With a growing population, unemployment has been a great concern in the country. In a recent survey by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) in partnership with the United Nations Development Project (UNDP) and World Bank with technical support from the Innovation for Poverty Action (IPA)), it was revealed that about 115,000 businesses in the country had either permanently or temporarily closed down due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has also affected the world.
The survey stated that more than 45,000 workers lost their jobs during the partial lockdown and those who were hit most were from the accommodation and food sectors. It is obvious that without any interventions the economy will suffer as about 770,000 workers of businesses had their wages reduced with 30,000 of businesses closed down permanently and 85,000 yet to determine what to do.
The intervention, therefore, would offer hope to the Ghanaian graduate youth, especially women and school dropouts nationwide between the ages of 18 and 35.
The agricultural sector is an area which is very lucrative and it is worth noting that the project targets the agri/agro-business, health, manufacturing, transport and education sectors among others under the Youth Entrepreneurship and Employment Programme (YEEP).
With youth unemployment, the country’s security is threatened. The Spectator urges the youth not to allow this opportunity to pass by but to log onto the website, HYPERLINK “https://nbssi.gh/youngafricaworks”https://nbssi.gh/youngafricaworksas more women would be trained in the coming months and provided with start-up kits and other equipment to start their own businesses.
As it was noted, the project had three components, innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship (ICE), Apprentice to Entrepreneurship (A2E) and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Business Acceleration which would help the youth (who form 57 percent of Ghana’s population), to unearth their talents, create jobs for them to live fulfilling lives and thereby grow the economy.
As these efforts progresses, we remind the youth to make good use of social media platforms to market their products globally, as in this era of COVID-19 there is the need for entrepreneurs to explore innovative ways to reach out to customers.
We commend the government for giving hope to the youth and further urge it to introduce more interventions to cushion Ghanaians.
The private sector, international agencies and well-meaning individuals should also intervene to help create more job opportunities for the youth, women, the less privileged and People Living with Disabilities (PLWDs) to rid the streets of beggars.
The creation of youth employment in the wake of COVID-19 is a laudable initiative.
Editorial
Kudos to Ho Teaching Hospital staff, but …
Dear Editor,
If there is any group of professionals that get bad-mouthed the most, then you are referring to nurses and medical doctors assigned to public hospitals across the country.
For this particular letter, I want to sing the praises of this same group of professionals that work at the Ho Teaching Hospital, famously known as Trafalgar.
Despite the work load and the mass casualties received at the emergency ward of the hospital, the welcoming nature of the nurses and the professional touch by the doctors can’t be ignored. My personal experience has got me travelling from my base in Accra to seek medical services from these professionals.
Special mention has to be made of the likes of Precious of the Pharmacy Department, Dr Brandon Banor (a maxillofacial resident) of the Dental unit, male nurse Justice assigned to the female surgical ward. Words cannot really do justice to their affable, professional caring nature. A simple thank you is all that I can say.
In the same vein, I can’t but call out the bad attitude of the auxiliary staff and contractors of the hospital.
Chief among them is some of the contracted bank staff that handle the payment section of the hospital and the patient registration section (those that check the status of the patient as to whether they are fee paying patients or NHIS sponsored).
The attitude at times leaves a bad taste in the mouth. One such occurrence was a night staff of the registration section who had her legs on the office table whilst talking to patients.
The CEO of the hospital needs to shine his torch light on this support sections before they erode the awesome performance of the direct medical staff of the hospital.
Thank you for the space.
Kwesi Manu
Accra
Editorial
Develop policies to address disability concerns
Dear Editor,
AT the beginning of the year, when I went to the bank to deposit money into my uncle’s account, I observed a very sad situation where a man in a wheelchair struggled to navigate his way around the facility.
This is because the structure is disability unfriendly.
As I stood and watched how the man struggled to move his wheelchair, I felt sad and wondered if this is how the life of a disabled person should be. It becomes worse if there is no one to offer help.
In Ghana, People With Disabilities (PWDs) are often treated differently and are often subjected to all forms of discrimination.
Most of these people find themselves in such a situation as a result of unfortunate happenings such as accidents and injuries.
It is, therefore, not appropriate for anyone to discriminate against them. Discrimination against such persons take many forms, including how buildings are constructed.
Most of the public structures are not disability friendly and impede their movement.
As a country, we should consider the PWDs in designing our structures. I also think that there should be a national policy that seeks to address this issue.
I have a strong conviction that when such a policy is developed by the government, people with disabilities would feel appreciated and also promote social inclusivity.
Ray,
Kasoa
