A group calling itself Unemployed Graduates Network [UGNET] has announced their formation. According to them, the objective of the Network is to partner government, private sector and other agencies to find lasting solutions to unemployment situation in the country.
This was contained in a release dated 3rd November 2021.
The release, signed by one Selorm Kwame Dzramado, stated that the plight of graduates from various tertiary institutions in Ghana has in recent times moved from bad to worse and there is, sadly to say, no signal it will get any better in the foreseeable future.
The release stated that every year, thousands of graduates are hashed out of the four walls of institutions of higher learning in this country without readily available jobs or opportunities to establish themselves. They stated that even if jobs or opportunities were available at all, it was only for a selected few from privileged backgrounds or connected to the ruling class.
“It has become fashionable every year for young productive men and women to graduate from Universities, Polytechnics, Nursing Training Colleges, College of Education, etc. and engage in a suffering scheme called National service for a year, only to be asked to go home and idle. This sordid phenomenon has become a recurring event and as a result, there are millions of graduates currently home doing absolutely nothing.
“While this should be of utmost concern to officialdom elected and paid with taxes, the best way they have handled it so far was to negotiate their way out of their mandates by paying lip service to job creation. The number of jobless youths prancing the streets of Ghana now is not only an eyesore but a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.
“Worse of all, umbrella bodies with mandates to speak on behalf of us and make a strong case for us has gone silent and perhaps dining with the “devil” at close range. This has worsened the unemployment situation in recent times with the World Bank pegging it as a charitable 12 percent. Government’s ostensible approach to solving the problem has rather resulted in creating unemployment with speed other than creating employment.
“The Network will embark on series of activities in the coming days to ensure our objective and demands are met. We will also engage the media on a yet to be scheduled date to officially outdoor the group, it’s executives at all levels and social media handles. We believe that there is “no future without jobs”,” the release stated.
