Youth Groups in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Northern
Regional capital of Tamale has expressed worry at the fact that the
government’s interventions to reduce the rate of unemployment in the country
fell in the wrong hands.
According to the youth groups,
slots for NABCO, planting for food and jobs and others were sold to individuals
who already were on the government payroll.
Apart from that, people who were
genuinely unemployed were charged an amount of GHC 500 before they were
provided with slots on the initiative by the government to help provide some
employment and training for the youth.
“Ladies and gentleman, the Nana
Addo administration upon assumption of office in 2017 started the
implementation of policies such as the Nation Builder’s Corp (NABCO), Forestry
guards, planting for food and jobs just to mention but a few to mitigate the
unemployment situation in the country that the government inherited from the
John Mahama led NDC administration”, the group said.
“It will interest you to know
that these job opportunities created by government to help the unemployed youth
have gone into wrong hands as far as northern region is concerned due to the
unconcern attitude of our regional executives. They sat ideal and watch those
opportunities sold to people who are already on government payroll. Assuming
been unemployed and you asked to cough out Ghc.500.00 to be given NABCO or
Forestry guard. These were the predicament of some NPP youth in the region, the
opportunities were sold to people who could afford and since the majority of
the youth cannot afford, there were left out even though they qualify to be
employed under these programs”, they added.
“Ladies and gentlemen, on the
issue of awarding of contracts to themselves, it is a known fact that the
executives do collaborate with officials in charge of the awarding of contracts
to award same to themselves. It has become increasingly difficult for
non-executives to secure contracts”, they disclosed.
“Even known contractors in the
region who fall within the youth brackets are not getting it easy when it comes
to the award of contracts if you are not prepared to cash out their 10 percent
to them then forget getting a contract. Sometimes last year we had a bitter
encounter with the Tamale central constituency executives when they met us to deliberate
the way forward for election 2020”, they added.
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