Deputy Minister of Finance, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, has revealed that Ghana is grappling with a huge backlog of unemployed professionals in the health and education sectors, a challenge that continues to exert pressure on the national budget.
In an interview on Accra-based Citi FM, Mr. Ampem disclosed that since 2019, the country has accumulated a backlog of 74,000 health professionals and 71,000 education professionals who are yet to be absorbed into the public sector.
“If you look at the health sector, every year from 2010 to date, about 26,000 professionals are trained, and out of that, only about 13,000 are recruited annually. Since 2019 to date, we have had a backlog of about 74,000 unemployed health professionals who are waiting to be recruited,” he explained.
He added that the education sector faces a similar situation, as colleges of education and universities continue to churn out between 35,000 and 81,000 graduates annually, with only a fraction securing employment in the public sector.
“There are about 14,000 of them who are not employed each year, and we have a backlog of about 71,000 unemployed education professionals,” he said.
Mr. Ampem indicated that government recognises the seriousness of the issue but stressed that employing all the affected professionals would require substantial financial commitment.
“If we put the 74,000 health professionals on the payroll, we will need an additional GH₵6 billion annually to absorb them, and another GH₵6 billion for the education sector. This is just for the backlog of professionals who have not been employed,” he noted.
He further acknowledged the concerns of over 12,000 workers who have been engaged but remain unpaid, assuring that the government is taking measures to address the matter.
Source: Adomonline