FIND LASTING SOLUTIONS TO UNEMPLOYMENT PROBLEM ...In Northern Ghana (PAGE 36)

THE devil, it is said, engages the idle hands and a hungry man is indeed an angry man. These wise sayings were certainly not borne out of nothing. They give meanings to the fact that a frustrated job hunter is gullible and could be used to engage in criminal activities for survival.
It is for this reason that serious and practicable solutions will have to be found to the growing unemployment situation in the Northern Region in order that selfish individuals and groups would not take advantage of the financial vulnerability of the youth and use them to cause disturbances at the least provocation.
It is sometimes pathetic to see school leavers yearning to put what they have been taught in the classrooms into practice, moving from office to office seeking for jobs.
It is equally disheartening that the illiterate majority cannot also find any work to engage themselves in because there are simply no factories and industries in the Tamale metropolis to employ their services.
The agriculture sector that used to provide ready jobs for the youth, particularly in the rural areas, has also suffered decline over the years and as a result, the young men and women who were being used as farm hands now troop to Southern Ghana in droves to ‘‘try their luck’’ on any menial job for survival.
Indeed, this writer has encountered a number of the youth moving from one office to another including homes searching for jobs to expend their energies on. In most cases, they return home disappointed.
According to a marketing graduate of the Tamale Polytechnic, Miss Rabi Seidu, ‘‘we ladies are even more vulnerable because most of the times even if you want an attachment, the manager or a senior staff of an organisation would want to sleep with you before engaging your services with the assurance that he would eventually employ you”.
The unemployed youth, who are mostly between the ages of 18 and 35, are spotted under trees playing cards, ludo or oware. Others engage themselves in rumour mongering and conversations that sometimes lead to heated arguments and unnecessary quarrels.
Parental irresponsibility coupled with ignorance has also contributed significantly to the prevailing situation as some parents continue to shirk their duties while others do not still see the need to enrol their children in school.
According to a 34-year-old development worker, Mr Dan Kuka, ‘‘but for the existence of the many non-governmental organisations some of who are contributing significantly to the socio-economic development of the north, I wonder how the poverty situation would have looked like’’.
Some have indeed blamed the prevailing high unemployment levels on government neglect of northern Ghana because according to them, much commitment has not been demonstrated in creating jobs.
They contend that the availability of water, which is one of the necessities in the establishment of industries, is woefully inadequate in most parts of the region including the Tamale metropolis and that governments over the years have failed to address the age-old problem.
Even though, the 45-million euro Tamale water expansion project for the metropolis has been completed, many surrounding communities are still without potable water. The people struggle with animals daily to draw water from the small existing dams and dug-outs.
Existing factories such as the Nasia Rice Mills that used to offer ready market for farmers and also provide employment for the youth, is almost collapsed due to lack of credit facilities and the influx of imported rice into the system.
Other industries that are suffering from the same fate are the cotton industries and oil and shea-nut establishments.
Indeed, it is commendable that the immediate past government introduced the Youth Employment Programme to absorb young men and women at their prime age to earn decent living. More still needs to be done to engage the thousands of frustrated youth who still roam the streets and knock at the doors of offices.
Hopefully, the current government’s intention to establish the Savannah Accelerated Development Project will really help to fast-track the socio-economic development of northern Ghana.
The National Volunteer Programme being run by the National Service Secretariat is another venue the youth have turned their attention to. But the question is, what happens to them after the service?
There is, therefore, the urgent need to draw up a comprehensive National Youth Policy to come out with holistic solutions to address the problems of young men and women who often do not know where to focus their attention for support.
Even though the initiatives by the government, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and some philanthropic groups and individuals in providing employment skills to the youth in the region are commendable, much needs to be done to make such skills impact more positively on the beneficiaries and the society in general.