Joseph Osei-Owusu, the Member of Parliament for Bekwai has urged Ghanaian youth to venture into entrepreneurship and stop chasing non-existent white-collar jobs.
The MP who doubles as the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament charged university graduates to initiate the process of generating wealth before others support them.
Speaking at the launch of the 29th GRASAG week celebration at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, (KNUST), the MP popularly known as Joe Wise said “Every graduate is going round with a certificate searching for the job whereas the training was to enable them to create the job. I think it is time we bridge the linkages between the knowledge we’ve acquired and the wealth in our land.”
“Parliament will continue to provide the facilitation but first thing is that graduates must apply the knowledge they have,” he added.
According to him, even though white-collar jobs are good, the opportunities out there are limited, because only a handful of people with specific qualifications are needed at any point in time.
He called on the youth to treat with contempt, speculations that only people from poor homes acquire technical knowledge and training skills.
He continued that the youth must be allowed to venture into professions they have the talent to operate effectively in than force them into areas of education, which might not be suitable for them, and end up jeopardizing their future.
As part of efforts to address the high youth unemployment rate in Ghana, the government announced an entrepreneurial programme in the 2022 budget known as YouStart, with the objective of building an entrepreneurial nation and creating at least 1 million jobs for the youth from 2022 to 2025.
The YouStart programme is a vehicle through which the government intends to provide funding and technical support to the youth (18-40 years) and youth-led businesses to assist them to start, build and grow their own businesses.
Joe Wise speaking on the programme stated that the “YouStart is in the budget. I encourage young people to read the budget and get to know how to receive support to start something on their own. Every budget has some programmes to support young people with ideas. Unless you take the step, nothing will happen.”
Source: TheBBCghana.Com
