Youth unemployment a ticking time-bomb – Mahama

The Flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama says the high rate of youth unemployment in the country is an urgent matter which needs to be quickly addressed to avoid future agitations by young people.

The former President lashed out at the ruling party’s claim that it had created over two million jobs at a time when the country was still experiencing sky-high levels of unemployment among young people.

Speaking at an engagement with reporters in Sunyani to climax his campaign tour of the Bono Region, Mr. Mahama highlighted the need for the next government to improve the economy for job creation.

“But certainly, like in all the other regions, youth unemployment is the main issue. The youth came out in their numbers, and it is clear that it is a ticking time bomb for us as a country. We need to accelerate the economy.”

“Certainly, the current government has no panacea for youth unemployment, because they’ve taken the unemployment rate from 8.4% to 14.7% in just eight years. And so when they talk about creating 2 million jobs, you ask, where are those 2 million jobs? If unemployment has risen to 14.7%, then you can’t have created 2 million, 2-point-something million jobs,” Mr. Mahama argued.

The incumbent New Patriotic Party (NPP) government has insisted that it has created over two million jobs, a claim recently echoed by the party’s presidential candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.

However, former President Mahama said it was part of their propaganda playbook that has kept them from acknowledging reality.