Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson says the government is pursuing a new economic direction aimed at creating sustainable employment opportunities for young people, insisting that temporary job programmes cannot provide the long-term livelihood security Ghana’s youth need.
Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has announced that the government is working towards transforming Ghana’s economy to create more sustainable and dependable employment opportunities for young people.
He said the country’s inability to translate expanded access to education into permanent employment remained a major challenge that required a fundamental change in the approach to job creation.
According to him, although successive governments have expanded educational opportunities, the economy has failed to generate sufficient permanent jobs to absorb the growing number of young people entering the labour market.
Dr Forson indicated that the government’s upcoming budget, scheduled for presentation on Thursday, would outline measures to address the challenge and accelerate national development.
Temporary employment programmes not a lasting solution
The Finance Minister argued that temporary employment initiatives, including the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) model, could not serve as the ultimate solution to Ghana’s youth unemployment challenge.
He acknowledged that such programmes could provide immediate financial relief and practical work experience for beneficiaries but stressed that their temporary nature made them inadequate for securing long-term livelihoods.
He explained that although these interventions might offer short-term opportunities, young people needed employment prospects that would extend beyond the expiration of their placements.
“The temporary models may offer immediate relief and experience to our people, but our young people need dependable livelihoods beyond the end of the placement of these temporary models,” he added.
Government seeks a new economic direction
Dr Forson said Ghana needed to move away from its traditional approach to employment creation and embrace a new economic model that prioritises sustainable job opportunities.
“Thereby, there is a need for us to change from the old party to a new one,” he said.
The Finance Minister’s remarks point to the government’s intention to move beyond reliance on temporary employment arrangements towards an economic framework capable of generating more permanent opportunities.
Dr Forson believes Ghana must pursue a different approach, one that does not leave young people dependent on periodic government employment programmes but instead creates opportunities for lasting economic participation.
He maintained that building a new economy capable of delivering sustainable jobs was essential to securing the future of Ghana’s youth and advancing national development.