President Nana Akufo-Addo has charged tertiary institutions across the country to produce more ‘graduate entrepreneurs’ instead of students who depend solely on government for jobs.
According to the President, these institutions are graded by the ability of their students to easily penetrate the job market.
Speaking at the International Conference on Entrepreneurship, Business and Technology organized by the Methodist University College, the President also called for entrepreneurship studies to be included in the syllabus to prepare students for the job market.
“When the public service becomes attractive as the source of money making, then we must acknowledge ourselves that we have things in the wrong order. It is in all our interest that those who set up ventures and take business risks are able to generate wealth. This is the sector that we must grow for, it is the sector that will provide the theory for our unemployment crisis. I believe the recent budget has shown that my government is serious about its part of the bargain and it is committed to strengthening businesses and the private sector.”
“The educational institutions would have to take a closer look at their curriculum content, and the way they teach and align it with present day realities. More and more these days across the globe, the value of a university is measured by how easily its graduates find jobs. Our educational institutions need to know at firsthand what is happening in industry, and train their students accordingly. This is a fundamental imperative if we are to achieve best practice and create jobs.”
The issue of graduate unemployment has been lingering for sometime now.
A recent survey conducted by the Institute of Economic Affairs, (IEA) identified unemployment as the foremost problem confronting the majority of Ghanaians today.
According to the survey, urban dwellers, females, and the majority of people living in the Western, Eastern and Central regions, identified unemployment as their biggest problem in Ghana.
The survey, conducted between November and December, 2015, sampled 1,500 respondents from across the ten regions of Ghana, who were 18 years of age, and above.
In 2015, the Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research (ISSER) also indicated that Ghana is sitting on a time bomb due to the growing unemployment rate in the country.
The ISSER indicated that about 200,000 unemployed graduates were in the country.
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