Lack of employment, bane of social stability – Thompson
Elmina, June 5, Ghanadot/GNA – An
Economic Consultant, Dr Nii Moi Thompson has said that it
was imperative for Metropolitan, Municipal and District
Assemblies (MMDAs) as policy makers, to create conducive
environment that will foster the growth, expansion as well
as the sustenance of small and medium scale enterprises to
stimulate economic activities in their areas.
According to him the creation of more employment through the
private sector was one of the surest means of stemming
social instability when often occur due to lack of gainful
employment to help eradicate poverty.
At a day’s technical training workshop on; “decent job
creation” for district level functionaries including the
Sub-Committees for Production and Gainful Employment (SPGEs),
District Chief Executives and Coordinating Directors, Dr
Thompson called on all stakeholders to work in concert to
ensure that the objective of the project succeeds.
The SPGEs has been instituted in seven out of the 17
districts in the Central Region as a poverty eradication
project by the International Labour Organization (ILO) to
promote dialogue and build partnership between the
assemblies and small/medium scale businesses to exploit and
harness opportunities and resources in their areas for
increased production and job creation.
The beneficiary districts are Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam,
Twifo-Hemang-Lower Denkyira, Mfantsiman, Effutu, Awutu-Senya,
Gomoa East and Agona West and that the project also seeks to
address low productivity, limited access to credit, and low
level of technological use as well as enhance innovation and
stem poverty among farmers and other entrepreneurs.
Dr Thompson, who is also an International Project Expert on
Local Economic Development (LED) of the ILO said the link
between macro-economic stability and putting money in the
pocket of the ordinary Ghanaian was the creation of abundant
employment particularly in the private sector.
The Deputy Director at the Regional Coordinating Council, Mr
Kwame Oppong stressed the need for the individual Ghanaian
to be empowered to be self-reliant to help eliminate
poverty.
He said it was unfortunate that the region which is endowed
with both natural and human resources was lagging behind in
development and called on all stakeholders to be committed,
selfless and dedicated and work together to change the
poverty profile of the region.
Mr Emmanuel Baisie, National Project Officer of LED
re-echoed calls on policy makers to ensure that policies are
geared towards employment creation and regretted that the
districts assemblies lacked clear cut policies and planning
for job creation.
GNA
