The government is set to launch a domestic care economy programme next year, with the initiative expected to create nearly 100,000 jobs for young people.
Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment, George Opare-Addo, said the programme forms part of government’s broader efforts to tackle youth unemployment and provide decent and sustainable employment opportunities.
Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of a Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) event in Accra on Thursday, Mr Opare-Addo said government remained committed to reducing the country’s unemployment rate by the end of President John Dramani Mahama’s four-year term.
He acknowledged a slight increase in youth unemployment but attributed the situation partly to Ghana’s rapidly growing youth population.
According to him, government is implementing several initiatives through the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and other programmes to expand employment opportunities for young people.
“Next year, under the YEA, we’ll be launching the domestic care economy, and that alone is supposed to employ close to 100,000 young people. Clearly, clearly, we will reduce the unemployment rate,” he said.
Mr Opare-Addo expressed confidence that the domestic care economy programme, together with other youth-focused interventions, would significantly increase employment opportunities across the country.
He stressed that government’s objective was not merely to create jobs but to ensure that young people gained access to decent, sustainable and meaningful employment.
The Minister said the planned programme and other interventions would form part of government’s broader strategy to address youth unemployment and improve the economic prospects of young Ghanaians.
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