NABCO was a populist policy with zero output – Ofosu- Ampofo drops shocking revelation

Louisa July 27, 2022

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NaBCO was a populist policy with zero output – Ofosu- Ampofo drops shocking revelation

Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has described the Nation Builders Corps (NaBCO) program as a populist policy that has had no impact on the lives of the youth.

He wondered what kind of skill sets the initiative provided to the youth in order for them to advance in life.

Mr Ofosu-Ampofo said on Monday’s ‘Pae Mu Ka’ show with Yaa Titi Okrah on Onua FM, “The country has been mismanaged because the government is not getting its priorities right.”

“I feel very sorry for the young people in this country.” The NPP came to power through deception. They claim to have created jobs for over 100,000 youth, but this is not true; they have never created 100,000 jobs. We need to double-check that figure because NABCO does not employ 100,000 people.

“The people require long-term employment; what have you accomplished by announcing the end of the NaBCO program?” What kind of transition have you made? Nothing. This is a populist policy with a negative outcome.”

During the mid-year budget review presentation on Monday, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta stated that the NABCO will end on September 1, 2022.

“Mr. Speaker, our illustrious National Builders Corps (NaBCo) program, which was originally scheduled to run for three years but was extended for an additional year, will be completed by September 1st, 2022.” The program, which involved 100,000 young graduates, prepared thousands of them for the workforce. “We have invested approximately GH2.2 billion so far,” he stated.

“As they exit the program, the current cohort is encouraged to take advantage of the YouStart initiative and other existing programs in our drive to Build an Entrepreneurial Nation,” he added.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo launched the NaBCO initiative on Tuesday, May 1, 2018.

Mr. Akufo-Addo expressed confidence that by the time NABCO trainees exited the scheme, “the requisite work readiness skills and experience, which are frequently regarded as a barrier to their employment as fresh graduates, would have been resolved.”

“NABCO will be the vehicle to deliver one hundred thousand (100,000) jobs in seven (7) priority areas, defined as the following modules: Educate Ghana; Heal Ghana; Feed Ghana; Revenue Ghana; Digitize Ghana; Enterprise Ghana; and Civic Ghana,” Mr Akufo-Addo stated at the time.

President Akufo-Addo explained the rationale for the Corps, noting that the tragic story of youth unemployment had been a tragic part of Ghanaians’ lives for far too long.

The situation, he claimed, was exacerbated by the International Monetary Fund’s ban on public sector employment, which the Mahama administration had entered into at the time and which he inherited.

“I indicated that a new employment scheme will be launched to address the issue of an increasing number of graduates leaving our tertiary institutions with no job placements in sight,” he said.

The President stated that NABCO’s primary goal is to provide employment opportunities for young people with diplomas or degrees from accredited tertiary institutions, adding that “NABCO will enhance the dignity and self-esteem of our graduates, as well as present them with the added benefit of efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of some essential public services.”