He highlighted the government’s history of unfulfilled promises regarding job creation.

Mahama’s comments came after Dr. Bawumia committed to prioritizing youth employment if elected in the December 7 presidential election.

Speaking during his tour of the Oti Region, Mahama addressed a crowd in Kwamikrom in the Biakoye constituency, where he questioned the credibility of Dr. Bawumia’s promise.

He pointed to the ongoing struggles of former Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) trainees who are still owed several months of unpaid allowances.

Mahama urged Dr. Bawumia to settle these outstanding NABCO debts as a step toward building trust with the youth, stressing that fulfilling current obligations would lend credibility to future job promises.

“The NPP government promised NABCO trainees job placements after their service period, but three years later, that commitment remains unfulfilled, and their promised allowances during training are also unpaid. It’s disappointing that the trainees’ repeated attempts to address these issues have been ignored. If Dr. Bawumia is truly committed to creating jobs for the youth, he should start by addressing their grievances first,” Mahama stated.

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The Coalition has voiced serious concerns about the prolonged delays and have announced plans for a large-scale demonstration at the forecourt of Jubilee House, scheduled for a week before the upcoming elections if their grievances are not addressed.

The Coalition hopes that the National Peace Council’s involvement will help resolve the issue and prevent further escalation.

In a formal petition to the council members, the coalition highlighted the severe impact of the unpaid allowances on their livelihoods and the broader implications for national security and stability.

Despite numerous petitions to the Office of the President and relevant Ministries, the matter remains unresolved, leading trainees to consider more drastic measures.

The Coalition underscored the Peace Council’s vital role in maintaining peace during the election period and urged the council to engage with the President to expedite the payment of the arrears.

They expressed hope that, the Peace Council’s intervention would be instrumental in maintaining national security and ensuring a peaceful election.

Read the petition below:

Source: Adomonline

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Speaking at the launch of the NDC’s Youth manifesto on Monday at the UPSA Auditorium in Accra, August 12, Mr Kwetey suggested that NABCO was a scam proposed to win citizens’ votes rather than to create jobs and ensure genuine progress in the country.

He, however, noted that the policy to be unveiled by the NDC will give hope to Ghanaians.

“Over the last eight years, we have seen a number of policies that have been unveiled like NABCO. What has happened to it? Because it was nothing but a scam and a 419 policy. It was a policy designed for votes. The difference between us and them is that we think about policies first for progress before votes,” he stressed.

Mr Kwetey emphasized that while anyone can develop policies, the difference between the NDC and the governing party is that theirs will focus on policies that promote progress rather than just seeking power.

He claimed that the NDC’s upcoming policies would restore hope to Ghanaians, particularly the youth, whose hopes have been crushed due to the economic challenges of the past eight years.

“Today, the flagbearer of our party will take time to unveil the policies of this party whose heartbeat is after the destiny of the young people to elaborate plans which will set this country back towards giving hope and prosperity to our young people again.”

Source: Myjoyonline

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Clad in red, her one-woman demonstration started from Anloga Junction, through to Adum and made a final stop at the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council {RCC} to hand a petition to the government.

Though she missed the window to hand over the petition to the Region Minister, Deborah says she is determined to get the needed attention.

She complained of a horrible life she has been living after the end of the NABCO programme.

“Life has become unbearable for me, I barely make ends meet, I have now become a beggar resorting to friends for 20ghc daily, I can’t pay feed well not to take of paying bills, yet I have a child and parents to feed,” she asserted.

“Your Excellency, I am suffering, we NABCO trainees are dying out of hunger out of hunger, starvation, and improper health care. Most NABCO trainees are already dead and gone out of frustration, so to whom will you pay their arrears? We need the 8 months’ arrears to start up something for ourselves since we are not getting employment even though we have the experience and the qualification,” she stressed.

Over the years, NABCO trainees have staged diverse demonstrations to get the government to release their arrears.

Deborah believes somebody needs to do something and she has volunteered to champion the course of her colleagues.

She believes her action will speak volumes to people in authority for them to settle the arrears before she endangers her life as the current nonpayment of arrears has plunged her into.

“Most of the CEOs and men in authority are wicked, they try to have sex with you and promise you of job which and don’t believe, and even if they give me a job after sleeping with me, what will be the relationship that will exist between me and the MD at the workplace, because I have refused to offer my body I have been denied countless jobs even though I have the skill, expertise, and qualification. They are just wicked and inhumane,” she bemoaned.

Deborah wants to press the course of NABCO trainees until they are paid and offered better jobs as the Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia promised them.

The protest is aimed at impressing upon the government to clear outstanding arrears owed to the respective groups over the years.

The spokesperson of the Coalition of NABCO trainees, Nana Takyi, told Citi News that the protest would be suspended if the government released funds to pay them.

“What we are seeking to hear is for the government to release funds to pay the arrears that have accumulated in these schemes: the NABCO scheme, the Service Scheme, and the Youth in Afforestation Scheme. What we are demanding is our money because we are also affected by the price hikes of electricity, water bills, and so on.

We are going through extreme hardship and we cannot even afford to buy bread. So, what we are demanding of the government is to release funds to settle our accumulated allowances, and that is all. So, if they pay our money today, there will be no need for any demonstration. We are going to stage a demonstration because the government has decided not to settle these accumulated allowances.”

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The group has given the Ministry till August 31 to do the needful or face their wrath. 

The leadership of the group says despite multiple attempts to seek payment from the government, they have been unsuccessful in receiving their dues.

The National convenor of the Aggrieved NABCo Beneficiaries, David Petterson, said life has been unbearable for his members, and they will stage series of demonstrations should the government fail to heed their calls.

“We started this last year, and we have been hitting on the doors of government and wrote to the Finance Minister on two occasions to pay us but to no avail. We have written to CHRAJ and others but still nothing happened so we are pleading with the government to release our monies to us else we will stage a nationwide demonstration.

“We are pleading with the government to pay us by the end of August else we are hitting the road because I have been receiving calls from members who complain of starvation, medical difficulties, broken homes, and a host of others,” he said on Accra-based Citi TV.

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In a statement, the Coalition noted that the “young men and women” who claimed to be NABCo trainees were actually supporters of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).

According to the Coalition, no rational trainee will commute to the parade grounds and stand under the scorching sun to celebrate Ghana’s Independence considering their economic situation.

“At this juncture that we are going through inhuman treatment, for history sake, people may see celebration of Independence Day as an important occasion, but realistically the celebration is needless to we NABCO trainees in this time of severe hardships and cruel economy.

“Our critical investigation after the programme indicates that, the young men and women who were in traditional cloth were NPP party faithful who were compelled to represent NABCO Trainees,” part of the statement read.

The Coalition further wondered why the government would think NABCO trainees will march when their nine months arrears have still not been paid.

“A critical and analytical look at the pictures clearly show a well-organized group of minors paraded to match to deceive and create a smokescreen that the NABCO programme is in activation, but the fact remains that, the NABCO scheme collapsed right after 2020 elections,” it said.

Read full statement below:

GOVERNMENT MUST APOLOGISE TO NABCO TRAINEES FOR THE CHEAP PROPAGANDA AT THE JUST ENDED 66TH INDEPENDENCE PARADE. 

The above-mentioned association attention has been drawn to pictures circulating on social media with some young men and women wearing traditional clothes to represent NABCO Trainees during the 66th independence parade in Volta Region, Ho. The coalition want to put it on record that

1. No eligible and rational NABCO trainee in this devastated working condition will have the appetite to be paraded to march under this scorchy sun to celebrate Ghana’s Independence. NABCO trainees after 4 solid years on the scheme are still dependent on families and credit facilities, hence no way we will have the penchant to celebrate Ghana’s liberation.

2. At this juncture that we are going through inhuman treatment, for history sake, people may see celebration of Independence Day as an important occasion, but realistically the celebration is needless to we NABCO trainees in this time of severe hardships and cruel economy.

3. Our critical investigation after the program indicates that, the young men and women who were in traditional cloth were NPP party faithful who were compelled to represent NABCO Trainees.

4. We want to use this medium to urge the general public, stakeholders and the media who are sympathizing with us and adding voice to our plea for payment of all arrears engulfed the scheme to disregard the propaganda driven agenda to paint a very juicy picture about the programme. How can personnel who have been in arrears for over (9)months be delighted to march under the sun,to achieve what aim?. If we ever wanted to participate in the march, it would have been a march against deception and a demand for our salary arrears and sustainable livelihood.

5. A critical and analytical look at the pictures clearly show a well-organized group of minors paraded to match to deceive and create a smokescreen that the NABCO programme is in activation, but the fact remains that, the NABCO scheme collapsed right after 2020 elections.

6. The Coalition will in no time do a proper March to register our disgruntlement to insensitive President Akufo-Addo who want to ride on the reputation of vulnerable former NABCO beneficiaries to score political points. The beneficiaries of the nation builder’s corps demand an unqualified apology from the government.

We are by this release distancing ourselves from the said images as we are reliably informed that none of our members were present in a traditional cloth at the 66th Independence parade. Thank you

SIGNED CONAT executives To: All Media Houses

“The leadership of the aggrieved NaBCo Trainees Association (ANTA) petitions your good self as a Special Prosecutor, as a matter of urgency, to respond swiftly and appropriately to demands concerning our nine months unpaid stipends since November 2021 and other outstanding arrears since the year 2019,” the association stated in a petition to the Special Prosecutor, co-signed by its Convenor, David Peterson, and two other members, Dose Daniel Kojo and Rowlan Jemhi.

“We have in the past taken a number of steps to make headway regarding the payments of our arrears in question such as writing to NABCo Secretariat and organising several demonstrations, all to no avail,” the aggrieved trainees reminded the Special Prosecutor.

The association, therefore, appealed to the SP “as a matter of urgency to order the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, to allocate funds for the payment” of their nine months’ stipends in arrears and “other outstanding arrears that have engulfed the NaBCO scheme since the year 2019 before Tuesday, 31 January 2023.” 

Recently, beneficiaries of NaBCo reminded the government about their eight-month arrears.

“This is the umpteenth time we are reminding the government that beneficiaries of NaBCo are still owed eight (8) months of their stipends,” a statement signed by the National President NABTAG, Dennis Opoku Katakyie on Monday, 16 January 2023 noted.

It further noted that the “current payment that was made to cover December 2021, still has some validated trainees not receiving theirs coupled with reposted GRA trainees also being unattended to.”

“We will be forced to stage our next massive picketing at the Ministry of Finance to demand all arrears if the government fails to pay us as soon as possible,” the statement continued.

It added: “We’re suffering, pay our remaining eight (8) months arrears!”

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As part of measures to address graduate unemployment in the country, the Akufo-Addo government introduced the programme in 2017. 

The initiative was run under seven modules: Educate Ghana, Heal Ghana, Feed Ghana, Revenue Ghana, Digitize Ghana, Enterprise Ghana, and Civic Ghana.

It came to an end after three years.

According to the Information Minister, government intends to roll trainees of NABCO onto the yet-to-be-launched YouStart programme.

Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, who was speaking on JoyNews’ The Probe, noted that the move is a sustainable approach to resolving the growing rate of unemployment in Ghana.

“The government has been clear that for NABCO persons, they are going to be rolled on the YouStart programme which is aimed at ensuring that they have capital and technical support to start up their own businesses,” he said.

The YouStart initiative under the Ghana CARES programme has been introduced to ease constraints for existing and aspiring young entrepreneurs.

Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta had earlier stated that empowering the youth who were a driving force for change was a key component of the government’s plan.

He emphasised that the initiative would ensure that skills training becomes much better aligned with the needs of sectors as drivers of future productivity growth and socio-economic transformation.

Even before the government could choose a date for the programme’s launch, a group of NABCO trainees has asked for it to halted until their allowances are paid.

The trainees for months have complained about non-payment of allowances which has been in arrears for the past seven months.

While admitting that NABCO beneficiaries are struggling to make ends meet, the Ofoase-Ayirebi MP said the Akufo-Addo administration still prioritises youth employment.

He asked for the trainees to cooperate with the government on the initiative.

“I feel the pain of the NABCO beneficiaries which has been occasioned by the limited resources. There are many times I go to my constituency and I have to pay for some of my NABCO people who are helping out in the hospitals just that we are not making noise about it.

“But we feel their pain and our expectation is that the YouStart Programme will be rolled out shortly so that they all can be moved onto it,” he said on Sunday.

The Coalition said the economic situation of Trainees had worsened due to the failure of government to pay their seven months allowance after the government had asked them to remain at post.

In a press statement signed by Frank Quansah, the National Secretary for NABCO Trainees, and copied to the Ghana News Agency, the Coalition said the hope of Trainees in their career exit pathway had been curtailed owing to the delay by government to migrate them into permanent mainstream work.

The Coalition said all efforts to get the government to fulfill its promise and pay an accrued sum of 4,900 Ghana Cedis to each trainee had been fruitless and stated the resolve of the Trainees to demonstrate in demand of their allowances.

“We have been crippled and left penniless and highly indebted and, therefore, demand that the government pays all the arrears due us before 10th June, 2022 and also make sure that the promise for permanent jobs is fulfilled immediately for trainees to exit the scheme peacefully,” the statement said.

This is per a letter written by the Ministry’s Human Resource Manager on behalf of the Minister, notifying all Registrars of the NABCO trainees’ status.

The letter served as a reminder to all registrars that the programme had expired at the end of October 2021, and as such, all trainees were to vacate their posts.

The letter has come on the back of confusion that had rocked a similar directive last year when the National Coordinator of NABCO, Dr Ibrahim Anyars, had announced that there would be no extension of the three-year contract of the trainees only for a counter directive to be issued later.

“Following a high-level stakeholder meeting with the lead NABCO Module Implementation Partners (MIPs) led by His Excellency, the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana and The Honourable Chief of Staff, all NABCO trainees are required to remain at post,” the counter letter stated.

In the case of the latest directive, however, a Deputy Registrar of NABCO had copiously minuted on the letter on January 25, 2022, saying “write to inform the NABCO trainees accordingly”.

It is not yet clear if the said letter “to inform the NABCO trainees accordingly” has been written except to say that the designated recipient of the minute wrote, “noted sir”.

More soon…

It said the directive comes after a high-level consultation with implementation partners led by the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and the Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Opare.

The new directive comes as a major U-turn after the National Coordinator of NABCO, Dr Ibrahim Anyars indicated that there would be no extension of the three-year contract of the trainees.

He even announced the exit plan for the trainees under the programme.

But in the new notice to the trainees dated November 15, 2021, the NABCO secretariat said, “following a high-level Stakeholder meeting with the lead NABCO Module Implementation Partners (MIPs) led by His Excellency the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana and The Honourable Chief of Staff, all NABCO trainees are required to remain at post.”

It is unclear for how long the trainees are expected to remain at post, but the statement said it will be until “permanent arrangements” are made.

The statement said, NABCO Secretariat expects trainees to continue to discharge their duties diligently and professionally at their various workplaces whilst the scheme and the MIPs work towards a smooth final transition.”

Meanwhile, the notice has indicated that a new cohort of NABCO trainees will be recruited in 2022.

Below is the full statement:

The directive, according to the outfit, takes effect from Monday, November 1 to November 15, 2021.

This was announced in a statement signed by the Director of Regional Operations, Douglas Nii Teiko Annan.

“The directive has been necessary as part of consultations with the NABCo secretariat to restrategise on retaining the trainees,” part of the statement read.

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Meanwhile, GSA has assured trainees that any feedback that may arise before the said date will be communicated accordingly.

Read the statement below:

Speaking in an interview with Nhyira FM, the Ashanti Regional Youth Organiser of the New Patriotic Party, Dennis Kwakwa, who made the announcement, cautioned Ghanaians to be wary of scammers.

Following flyers and some statements containing plans for NABCO recruitment which have been widely shared, Mr Kwakwa affirmed those items are absolutely fake.

He explained NABCO is a commodity that is on high demand, hence people take advantage to make illegal deals.

Since such news broke out, I have had series of calls but I keep saying it is fake. I want to caution the public to be very alert. Some request for GHS 400 and GHS 500 to recruit personnel but they end up duping them.

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Mr Kwakwa said when the government is ready to recruit, it would be made known in an official statement.

Chief Executive Officer of NABCO, Dr Anyars Ibrahim led his team to present their donation to the Fund.

He explained that the donation was mobilised from 97,373 employees or trainees who contributed GH¢10.00 each and 312 Staff who also contributed GH¢200.00 each through a short-code between April and June.

Another group that donated was Procter and Gamble Nigeria Ltd (P&G) which gave 11,100 pieces of face masks.

General Manager for Procter & Gamble in charge of North and West Africa, Miriam Badu presented the face masks.

The Freedom Movement & New Africa Foundation, led by Nana Kwame Bediako; presented a Sola powered hand wash and dryer machine.

The donations were received by Chairperson of the Board of Trustees, Justice (Rtd) Sophia Abena Akuffo.

She thanked the donors for their kind gesture and gave the assurance that the donation would be used for the purpose for which they were given.

She was particularly happy that NABCO trainees, who are not earning that much, could appreciate the government’s efforts and support same.

Justice Sophia Akuffo was also grateful to Procter & Gamble Nigeria Ltd (P&G) for the masks as she noted that students who have resumed need face masks just as frontline health workers do.

The Chairperson of the Board of Trustees could not hide her joy when she received the Sola powered (made in Ghana) Hand wash and dryer machine, from Freedom Movement & New Africa Foundation, led by Nana Kwame Bediako.

Apart from the hand dryer attached to it, the equipment has a light to help users at night, an indicator to signal users that the water in it, is finished.

His official vehicle, a brand new Nissan Pick Up with registration number NR 9902 -19 and two mobile phones were taken by the suspected robbers, Thursday night.

The suspected robbers broke into his home in Kanvili Tuunayili, a suburb of Tamale, at about 9:30pm, Thursday.

Mr Rahman, who is also contesting the New Patriotic Party parliamentary primary in the Tamale Central constituency, escaped unhurt.

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The visibly shaken man jumped onto a motorbike shortly after the incident and reported the matter to the Police.

A witness, Philip Abazoure, who is a neighbour to Mr Rahman, told 3news.com that he heard a shout for help from the NABCo coordinator’s home.

According to him, he saw the vehicle being driven out by three men while entering the coordinator’s house in response to the distress call.

“They were all holding AK-47 riffles and they drove the car out on top speed,” he narrated.

Abazoure said he immediately called some radio stations within the metropolis to make announcements because he did not have any contact to the police.

The matter has since been reported to the Sakasaka police station.

Residents say Tamale had become a dangerous city for them in recent times.

This is the fourth time in two weeks that three pick-up vehicles and a Prado have been robbed at gunpoint in Tamale.

Meanwhile, the police have assured residents they will do their best to arrest the criminals.

Source: 3news

The Education Ministry has denied claims by the National Council of Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) that ‘inexperienced’ personnel of the Nation Builders Corp (NABCo) have taken over the job of teaching in Senior High Schools under the double track system.

Deputy Minister for Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has explained that the NABCo personnel only provide assistance to teachers in various schools and have no other role in the teaching process.

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“We can never replace teachers with NABCO personnel. They are to assist the trained teachers not to take over the teaching process,” he stated.

President of the Association, Alexander Yaw Danso, had said the standard of education was beginning to dwindle as a result of the unprofessional behaviours exhibited by some teachers and headmasters.

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“There are some schools that I visited and the only teachers you will see there are NABCo teachers and I ask, what experience do they have? For some places, they do not have chemistry and physics teachers,” he said.

But Dr Osei Adutwum, responding on Adom FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem Thursday said the Ghana Education Service has deployed teachers to the various schools, adding that NABCO personnel are expected to do minor teaching activities.

He said his outfit had enough teachers and wouldn’t rely on NABCO recruits to handle the teaching.

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To Dr Osei Adutwum, the claims that NABCO recruits have taken over teaching because teachers for the green track are on vacation is not true.

“NABCO recruits are not to be substantive teachers or take over the work and methodology of the teaching,” he reiterated.

The enterprise indicates to complement public service delivery in the agriculture, education, health, technology and governance sectors, as well as drive revenue mobilization and collection, will afford graduates the opportunity to earn a decent income and at the same time expose them to the world of work and improve their skills and employability in the module they find themselves.

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AFAG supports the deliberate effort of government and the President’s vision to create jobs for the unemployed graduates. Like many other social intervention programs, the NaBCo concept has the propensity, to resolve the socio-economic challenges facing the youth in the country.

NaBCo is a fantastic short-term solution to youth unemployment.  It is doing for graduates what the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) is doing for unskilled labour where young people between the ages of 15 to 35 years ago through skills training and internship modules to transit from being unemployment to employment.

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Our Resolution

1.      AFAG implores the government to forge ahead and consider ways of improving upon this idea as it works towards creating more lasting employment opportunities for the youth.

2.      The government should get the private sector involved

3.      AFAG urges the government to define ad source for funding for the programme, mostly independent of District Assembly Common Fund (DACF). The reliance of DACF stifles District Assemblies of funding for development programmes.

4.      The government must, as a matter of national priority, development a National Youth Employment Policy Strategy. This policy should indicate all sources of funding.

5.      AFAG suggests that government seeks for a more robust economic foundation to ensure a more robust means for sustainable job creation for the youth. This would include reducing taxes on businesses; aggressive business growth strategies; continue support for start-ups and long-term low-interest credit to SMEs.

READ: Video: KNUST closed down indefinitely

Conclusion

NaBCo is just the first step. The harder work is to get the youth long-term employment opportunities. AFAG is confident the government capable of meeting this challenge. AFAG holds the view that private sector-led employment is the only sustainable job creation.

Signed

AFAG Leadership

Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri in the Eastern Region, Frank Annoh-Dompreh has hit back at critics downplaying the impact of the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) initiative.

According to, Mr Annoh-Dompreh, unlike the many fraudulent and corrupt schemes that were undertaken by the John Mahama, administration, the new government is mindful of how it spends state funds.

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“I know the NDC is always critical of the Akufo Addo government but sometimes, they should just appreciate what we do to better the lives of the ordinary Ghanaian. NABCO is an initiative which seeks to create jobs.

“Unlike the Mahama administration whose administration blew huge amounts of state funds through corrupt schemes such as the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority’s Guinea Fowl project, the Akufo-Addo government has and will never engage in any such scheme but rather give more jobs to the people,” he said on Accra based Neat FM monitored by Adomonline.com.

The government introduced the NABCO as an alternative job creation opportunity for the country’s jobless graduates.

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The programme also forms part of government’s commitment towards addressing the high unemployment rate in the country.

The programme, which will be managed by the office of the President, will focus on alleviating shortfalls in public service delivery.

But Mr Annor Dompreh, who is also the Chairman of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, is asking the NDC who have been critical of the initiative to swallow their pride and come up with a better alternative instead of criticising the programme.

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“As a credible opposition party, I urge them to provide a better alternative if NABCO is a vote-buying move,” he slammed.

National Organiser of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Kofi Adams, has said the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) will provide permanent jobs for Ghanaian youth and not the likes of government’s Nation Builder’s Corps (NABCO) when it comes to power.

He said NABCO is just a way of postponing unemployment challenge in the country, a situation he says shows how incompetent the Akufo-Addo-led government is.

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To Mr Adams, the NABCO programme will only waste the country’s resources, maintaining that it should have been run under already existent systems like the Youth Employment Agency (YEA).

Kofi Adams“What is the Akufo-Addo government up to this time? Why repeat initiative when they can easily merge. With NABCO, they are only wasting the country’s resources and that is my worry. Aside from the worry of these professionals who feel that there are spaces and opportunities, this is the bureaucracy that is taking so much from our coffers,” he said on Okay FM monitored by Adomonline.com.

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The government introduced the NABCO initiative as part of its commitment towards addressing the high youth unemployment in the country. 100,000 recruits of NABCO successfully passed out on Wednesday, October 17, 2018, in Accra.

But Kofi Adams believes the programme will destroy existing policies.

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“NaBCo will destroy permanent jobs we have in the country. The explanation from government on NaBCo has revealed the policy will not be sustainable and it looks like we are not a serious country. I will not clap for government for a thoughtless process. If you ask for details, they are unable to give answers,” he noted.

Samuel Pyne said, even before the roll-out of the project, he knew it would be met with pessimistic and cynical comments by the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

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This notwithstanding, the NPP Ashanti Region secretary said the party had enough shock absorbers to meet the NDC cynicism.

President Nana Akufo-Addo on Wednesday, October 17, 2018, commissioned the, about, 100,000 beneficiaries of the NABCO programme at a ceremony held at the Black Star Square in Accra.

The programme which has recruited 100 thousand graduates from tertiary institutions across the country, has seven modules where the recruits have been distributed to work in the various districts and regions. They include the Feed Ghana, Heal Ghana, Digitize Ghana, Civic Ghana, as well as the Enterprise, Educate and Revenue Ghana modules.

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The recruits will receive a monthly stipend of GHc700.

But some critics including the NDC believe NADCO is not sustainable and just an election-winning tool.

In a rebuttal, Sam Pyne on Adom FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem Thursday said the conduct of the NDC is to be expected.

He claimed that the opposition party, hungry for power, even went to the extent of urging graduates from tertiary institutions not to register for the programme.

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The NPP man said the Akufo-Addo led government won’t be distracted from its core mandate of fulfilling their promises to Ghanaians.

Sam Pyne admonished the recruits not to consider the GHc700 stipend as free money but should work hard to earn it.

Speaking on Eyewitness News, Mr Quashigah said the government had only rolled out a repeated initiative.

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“I think clearly this programme is nothing to celebrate. Those celebrating it are celebrating nothing but mediocrity. First of all, it is nothing innovative. It was something that was carved out of the existing YEA programme…I do not think it will wash. There is nothing glamorous about this, yet the President made a lot of fanfare about it”.

The NABCO is an initiative introduced by government as part of its commitment towards addressing the high youth unemployment in the country through which 100,000 recruits of NABCO successfully passed out on Wednesday, October 17, 2018 in Accra.

Mr Quashigah also wondered why graduates on the NaBCo programme were being taken through another form of training aside from the one they had already undertaken.

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“We are talking about 90,000 young people but they are saying it is 100,000. Granted that it is 100,000 young people, is this something that will give these people equal pay, especially for the kind of work that they will be doing for when you look at those in the health sector as Nurses.”

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“We know there is a gap of about 50,000 required in the health service, meanwhile there are 32,000 already out there and theirs is for government to sign a contract with them so that they can be engaged, and now you want those who are already professionals who have gone through the rudiments of effective training to undergo training again. What kind of training do they need again? These people will be going through the programme already de-motivated,” he said.

The program seeks to employ 100,000 of the country’s graduate youth in various sectors of the economy.

Today’s event will see the beneficiaries who went through successful interviews placed to start working.

Finding jobs for the country’s youth was one of the major campaign promises of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the run-up to the 2016 elections.

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Critics of government have however said the NABCO initiative is not sustainable.

But government insists NABCO, which is one of its many interventions will help deal with youth unemployment.

About NABCO

President Akufo-Addo launched the Nation Builder’s Corps as an alternative job creation opportunity for the country’s jobless graduates.

The programme is expected to create 100,000 jobs in seven sectors of the economy including health, education, agriculture, and ICT.

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It also forms part of government’s commitment towards addressing the high unemployment in the country.

The programme, which will be managed by the office of the President, will focus on alleviating shortfalls in public service delivery.

The beneficiaries will be engaged for three years and they are expected to earn a monthly stipend of GH¢700 each.

The modules are Feed Ghana, Educate Ghana, Revenue Ghana, Heal Ghana, Enterprise Ghana, Digitise Ghana and Governance Ghana.

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Trainee nurses, midwives kick against NABCO

But the Ghana Nurses and Midwife Trainees Association, are unhappy with the programme saying government should employ them permanently instead of recruiting them on NABCO.

In May, the Public Relations Officer of the Association, Akugri Gaddafi, stated on Eyewitness News that the remuneration package for nurses in the programme is unfair, suggesting that newly-employed certificate nurses earn about 1, 100 cedis, while diploma and degree nurses earn between 1, 600 cedis and 1, 800 cedis, all much higher than the 700 cedis persons employed under the scheme are set to earn.

District co-coordinators are collecting GHC 200 from each person supposedly for transportation for a trip to Accra for the launch of the programme.

Listen to some NABCO recruits narrate their stories in the audio below:

READ ALSO: NABCo beneficiaries to pass out tomorrow

Personnel say they are asked to deposit their letters of engagement in addition to the money, though they are not given evidence of payment.

Those who are unable to afford the 100 Ghana cedis or cannot make the trip are made to pay less, some as low as 10 Ghana cedis.

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Complainants from various parts of the region say co-ordinators will not explain who authorized them to collect the money and why all recruits must travel to Accra for the launch.

The minister who was speaking on Star FM as monitored by adomonline.com explained that since the number of beneficiaries was huge, it may be difficult for everybody to make it to the ceremony.

He, however, expects quite a number of youths who are under the programme to attend the ceremony on the said date.

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The official ceremony which will take place at the Blacks Star square will be graced by His Excellency Nana AKuffo Addo.

About 100,000 Ghanaian youth are expected to pass out for the programme.

The Nations Builder’s Corps was a job initiative that was launched by the Akufo-Addo administration to provide employment avenues to reduce the unemployment rate in Ghana.

The initiative has received a lot of criticisms, especially from some members of the opposition NDC who believe the programme is a palliative which will not provide beneficiaries with careers.

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Over a period of three years, the youth who will be working under The Feed Ghana, Educate Ghana, Revenue Ghana, Heal Ghana, Enterprise Ghana, Digitise Ghana and Governance Ghana modules are expected to earn a monthly income of seven hundred Ghana cedis.

An aspiring National Youth Organizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused officials of the Nation Builders Corps (NaBCo) programme of recruiting graduates without certificates.

George Opare-Addo said most of the applicants are members of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) who lack qualification, a situation he says doesn’t speak well of a government that claims to have every Ghanaian at heart.

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“I see NABCO as a way of giving internship opportunities to all NPP members when that was not what they promised. NPP is doing exactly the opposite of what they promised in opposition. I have evidence to support my claim that so many of them do not have qualification,” he said.

“I challenge the Public Service Commission to come and debunk my claim; who are they lying to,” he asked on Asempa FM’s Eksoii Sen Wednesday.

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The President, Nana Akufo-Addo, recently launched the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO), which is expected to employ, in this year, some 100,000 young men and women to assist in the public sector service delivery needs of Ghana.

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But the former Municipal Chief Executive of Akuapem North believes the initiative is rather a move by the Akufo Addo-led government to deceive the youth.

Admitting that the policy is good, Mr Opare Addo insists it is not a panacea to unemployment in Ghana.

Listen to George Opare-Addo in the audio above for more.

National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Cape Coast South, Kweku Rickets Hagan has described government’s Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) as ‘useless’.

According to him, the policy is a welfare system which will only pay people for doing nothing.

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NABCO was launched on May 1, by President Akufo-Addo to address graduate unemployment in Ghana but opinions about the programme have been sharply divided.

The main strategy, according to the government, is to engage 100,000 unemployed graduates and equip them with skills through a process of value addition and training under seven modules: Educate Ghana, Heal Ghana, Feed Ghana, Revenue Ghana, Digitize Ghana, Civic Ghana and Enterprise Ghana.

While some comments have lauded the initiative as demonstrating the government’s commitment to solving the unyielding problem of youth employment, Mr Rickets Hagan has a contrary view.

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Mr Rickets Hagan on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen Tuesday indicated that NaBCo is just New Patriotic Party (NPP) government attention-grabbing initiative that scratches the surface but does not solve the core problem of graduate unemployment in the country.

He noted that the erstwhile J.A. Kufuor government, which was also from the NPP tradition, had a litany of such programmes which implementation resulted in ineffective problem resolution.

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“Why are Akufo Addo and his people deceiving Ghanaians. You promised those jobs and not temporal policies. I think it’s useless and shouldn’t have even been launched. What happened to the promise of jobs for all graduates who are willing and able to work;  what happened to the promise of permanent jobs that pay living wages,” he quizzed.

“All these things have forced me to run for president in order to change the state of the country,” he added.

He said the New Patriotic Party led administration under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was only 18 months old in office and had fulfilled some of its promises made to Ghanaians prior to the 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections, which youth engagement was included.

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Dr Bawumia said this when he paid courtesy call on the Regent and people of the Navrongo Traditional Council in the Upper East Region, which was the 9th Region of his nationwide tour.

The Vice President, who later joined his fellow Muslims to offer prayers at the Navrongo Central Mosque, was accompanied by Alhaji Boniface Abubakar Sadique, the Minister for Inner-City and Zongo Development, Mr Rockson Ayine Bukari, the Upper East Regional Minister, Municipal and District Chief Executives, some party executives and government officials.

He said: “We are praying because we know that with God everything is possible and without God nothing is possible, so we are trying to make sure that we live by the words of His Excellency Nana Akuffo-Addo that the battle is the Lord’s.”

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Dr Bawumia said 1,000 graduates would be hired and distributed across every constituency, and added that “Navrongo for example will not get less than four hundred graduates this year. They will be hired and they will start work this year.”

He noted that it was better for the unemployed graduates to be engaged to work than to allow them to stay at home on the pretext that government cannot provide jobs, and further disclosed that government would hire 80,000 non-graduates or non-certificate holders onto the youth employment scheme, adding, “Nana Akuffo-Addo is delivering,”.

According to the Vice President, a number of farmers had access to fertilizers and seeds under the “Planting for Food and Jobs” programme, and said government was working hard to ensure that the “One Village, One Dam” programme started soon.

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“We have awarded the contracts for the programme and you would see a lot of dams been constructed very soon all across the three Northern Regions.”

Dr Bawumia said government had established the Northern Development Authorities for each of the three Regions of the North, and would inaugurate the Board on Monday. He therefore urged the Chief Executive Officer and his Deputy to work hard to ensure that all constituencies reaped the benefits of the different authorities.

“They would be the vehicles through which we will channel the one million dollar per constituency to see the various projects being implemented. We have been 18 months in office, and you will agree that Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is a President who keeps his words.”

Ambassador Francis Bagyei Kelugu, Head of the family of the late Navro Pio, thanked the Vice President and his entourage for the visit, the support and interest government had shown in the funeral arrangement of the late chief, Pe Dr Augustine Atudiku Balinia Adda, who died on September 13, 2015.

He said the funeral of the late Chief would be performed on June 19, and a new Chief would be installed on July 15 this year.

This means that 32,060 applicants who commenced the process are yet to complete and submit their applications to meet the deadline of Friday, June 1, 2018.

Co-ordinator for NaBCo, Dr Anyars Ibrahim explained that those yet to submit their application may be working on information requests such as personal statement comprising expectations, aspirations, and ambition, among others.

To keep faith with applicants, he said breakdown of regional and modular applications would only be made available on close of applications on Friday, June 1, 2018.

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The scheme will this year employ 100,000 graduates under seven modules; namely, Educate Ghana, Heal Ghana, Feed Ghana, Revenue Ghana, Digitize Ghana, Civic Ghana and Enterprise Ghana.

Dr Anyars explained that all applicants can select suitable interview slots – time and date – for their chosen module and district from June 4 to 15, 2018.

He said interviews would be conducted in all districts from July 18 to 25, 2018.  According to him, orientation for the selected 100,000 would take place at the district level from July 30 to August 3, 2018.

The NaBCo Co-ordinator explained that a passing-out ceremony would be organised at regional locations on Saturday, August 4, 2018.

Placement of recruits

“From Monday, 6th August, 2018, Nation Builders’ Corps (NaBCo) trainees will commence placement on their modules. Each trainee will be given a three-year contract under a work and learning arrangement.

For every four weeks of work, one week will be dedicated to skills development and training. This results in a cumulative 12-week worth of core training, in addition to the on-the-job training every year,” he said.

Monitoring and evaluation

Dr Anyars stated that monitoring and evaluation of trainees would be conducted against the standards set for training and the skills acquisition expected of trainees.

To this end, he said, a partnership has been initiated between NaBCo, Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET), and a university partner to evaluate trainees, leading to an exit certification upon completion at the end of the three years.

“On preparation for the interviews, what I will say is that please take the process seriously. Prepare for the interviews by staying familiar with information on the website – www.nabco.gov.gh.”

This will deepen your knowledge and understanding of the scheme, as well as the module you applied for.  Avoid being late and show up on your appointment date and time ready and confident,” Dr Anyars said.

Equal opportunity recruitment and fairness

Every step of the way, NaBCo has been fair to applicants.

Most arrangements have avoided personal influences: an online application followed by online appointments for interviews.
Natural processes of recruitment equally entail other evaluative arrangements such as interviews.

This has been decentralised in district basis. Such flexibility takes account of applicants’ need for reassurance within a certain comfort zone, as well as costs associated with travel and lodging.

Regarding the panel to conduct the interviews, their only preoccupation is to make judgement on an applicant’s suitability to be placed in their chosen module.

Membership of interview panel 

In every district, a panel of five will consist of a representative of the district assembly, a member of the NaBCo Secretariat, an official from National Service Secretariat, a representative from a module implementation partner, and a representative from the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations.

In all cases, applicants will be validated and processed through the interview.

Successful applicants

If successful, an applicant will receive a text notification within three days of the interview.
The notification will advise on the next steps, including how to print the engagement letter from the web portal.

Orientation

Once successful applicants submit their letters to the district of placement, they will be processed to commence a five-day orientation.

In all districts, the dates for NaBCo Orientation are from July 30 to August 3, 2018. This shall include a military component on resilience, endurance, positive attitude, discipline and responsibility.

Passing-out ceremony

Once orientation is over, the successful trainees will all converge at their respective regional capital for a passing-out ceremony.

From August 6, 2018, trainees are expected to commence their placement in their chosen module within the organisations and enterprises they have been placed.

Member of Parliament for the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Constituency of the Western Region, George Mireku Duker, has described government’s Nation Builders Corps (NaBCo) programme as an innovative idea.

He believes the policy is a way of employing majority of unemployed youth in the country.

Mireku Duker said the youth must see the policy as a stepping stone for engaging them and by giving them industrial employable skills and also a life of dignity.

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“Where we have gotten as a country, Nana Addo is implementing the creation of jobs, I see this NABCO policy as an innovative idea that will consume piled up unemployed youth. Within NDC’s eight-year rule, they never created jobs but are quick to criticize the Akufo led-government for creating jobs”, he said.

The NaBCo programme which is aimed at addressing livelihood empowerment and graduate unemployment is expected to hire some 100,000 graduates.

The programme is focused on solving public service delivery in the health, education, agriculture and sanitation sectors as well as drive revenue mobilization and collection.

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Successful applicants would be employed under seven modules; namely, Civic Ghana, Revenue Ghana, Enterprise Ghana, Educate Ghana, Heal Ghana, Feed Ghana and Digitise Ghana.

Placement in the NaBCo will last for a period of 3 years under a stipend of GH¢700 every month.

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But speaking on Adom TV’s Morning Show “Badwam” on Wednesday, the NPP MP said the policy will bring a tremendous relief to most unemployed graduates and those who have always wanted an opportunity to set up their own businesses.

He, however, urged unemployed graduates in the country to sign up to assist with the public sector service delivery in the county.

Graduate nurses in the country who wish to join the Nation Builders Corps (NaBCo), scheme can do so voluntarily, Special Aide to the Vice President of Ghana has said.

Dr Gideon Boaku who made this known while speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosiisen on Thursday said although there were openings for graduate nurses to be employed under the initiative, application for the jobs is not compulsory.

He has explained that nurses who do not wish to be part of the scheme cannot be forced to apply.

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“Any nurse who doesn’t want to join the NaBCo and rather wait for the government to recruit them should sit at home and not bother joining. Those who desire to learn something are free to join because it’s voluntary.

“If you join NaBCo and later get a financial clearance, you can leave and so they should just take note,” he said.

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The programme which is a government policy to cut down on unemployment in the country will be launched by President Akufo-Addo on May 1.

Dr Boaku has given the indication that the programme aims to recruit 27,000 health professionals including some 10,000 nurses.

He, however, added that nurses will not be enrolled into the programme under compulsion.

Managers of the scheme say they are overwhelmed by the number of people who applied just a day after the official launch.

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Though figures are not readily available, officials say applications for all the modules as encouraging.

A coordinator of the program, Dr. Ibrahim Anyars, wants unemployed graduates to seize the opportunity to prepare themselves for the job market.

“NABCO is a work and learning program. For a graduate that has completed National Service and had not had the opportunity to work, this scheme grants you something,” he said.

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Interested persons are required to apply online via the Nation Builders Corps website.

Individuals who will be selected will go through an interview process which will determine their suitability for employment.

Dr. Anyars further indicated that Nation Builders Corps will not halt regular recruitment in government agencies.

READ MORE: Take advantage of NABCO-Youth urged

He said personnel on the program are also open to apply and be employed in any other government institution due to the flexible exit option of the scheme.

“The Nation Builders Corp is not stopping recruitment. The natural recruitment process will continue, institutions will seek clearance and go ahead to employ,” he added.

The program which was launched in Kumasi on Tuesday, May 1, 2018, is expected to recruit a hundred thousand degree and diploma holders for a three-year engagement on a 700 Ghana cedi monthly stipend.

Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Committee on Employment, Richard Quashigah, for instance, has described the creation of 1,096,404 jobs in both the public and private sectors as voodoo statistics.

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But speaking on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem Thursday, the Minister of Employment, Ignatius Baffour Awuah said the figures were real.

He explained that, between January 2017 and March 2018, government facilitated the creation of 1,096,404 jobs in both the public and private sectors of the economy.

Hon. Baffour Awuah also noted that the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) as part of government’s strategy to end graduate unemployment in the country.

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“We are also providing a stimulus packages for entities in the private sector who will be willing to engage the youth under NABCO. All such entities have to do is to just give them [graduates] jobs while government pays them”, he added.

The Employment Minister indicated that, youth unemployment has become one of the most critical challenges of the Ghanaian national life today and graduate unemployment is even worse.

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He stressed that the urgency to create jobs for the teeming graduates has become paramount, considering the fact that less than 10 percent of graduates are able to find jobs after national service, citing a study by the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) as basis.

Hon. Baffour Awuah is confident NABCO will end the unemployment situation in the country.

According to him, the initiative is rather a move by the Akufo Addo-led government to deceive the youth.

“To think that it will help reduce unemployment is just a lie. I see it an insult to the youth and so they should rise up against it and ask for better conditions,” he said.

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President Akufo-Addo launched Nation Builders Corps initiative which has an objective OF utilising talents of teeming unemployed graduates who are yet to land permanent employment on Wednesday, May 1, 2018, in Kumasi.

It is expected to empower over 100,000 youth who would be hooked onto the programme.

But Mr. Brogya Genfi who is skeptical about the benefits of the initiative claiming that is not a panacea to unemployment in Ghana.

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“I don’t see this initiative as creating jobs. Nana Addo and his government promised full-time jobs and not half jobs like this. What then happens to them [beneficiaries] after this programme? It means they will come back unemployed,” he said on Accra-based Okay FM.

According to him, the Akufo-Addo administration which has failed to create job wants to use the NaBCO initiative which is not sustainable to save its face instead of tackling unemployment head-on.

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“NABCO is just a short form of Nana Addo and Bawumia company. They will employ you for a while and then when exiting from office, beneficiaries go with them. It’s not sustainable. Akufo Addo has failed woefully,” he said.

Government has pumped GHS600 million into the Nation Builders Corps (NaBCO) initiative.

A Deputy Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has disclosed.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Tuesday, 1st May, 2018, launched the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) which will employ, in this year alone, 100,000 young men and women to assist in public sector service delivery needs of Ghana.

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

Explaining the rationale for the establishment of the Corps, President Akufo-Addo noted that the grim story of youth unemployment has been a tragic part of the lives of Ghanaians for far too long in Ghana, worsened, in recent times, by the ban placed on public sector employment by the International Monetary Fund.

RELATED: Take advantage of NABCO-Youth urged

Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen, Wednesday, Mr. Oppong Nkrumah noted that claims by the Minority in Parliament that the government lacked money to undertake the project are baseless.

He added that the amount has been stated in the government’s 2018 budget statement which has been approved by parliament.

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“Sometimes I get worried when the minority downplays government’s initiative, especially one that would reduce unemployment in the country.

“As I’m speaking with you now, an amount of GHS600million has been earmarked for the project, and so, I am shocked that the minority is making such claims. I think they need to have a look at the budget because it has been stated in it.”

A lecturer at the University of Education, Prince Armah, who made the call urged the youth not to relent on their efforts of pursuing realistic goals that would improve their lot.

“I think the launch of NABCO is an Innovative intervention by government to rescue the youth and with this, I call on all youth in the country to grab this great opportunity because I see it as stepping stone for them”, he urged.

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President Nana Akufo-Addo has assured that the newly launched Nation Builders Corps will not discriminate against anyone.

He said the scheme, which is expected to engage 100,000 graduates, is open to all graduate citizens who “have duly discharged their national service obligations.”

Speaking at the launch of the scheme in Kumasi on May Day, he said applications will be done strictly online to “optimize efficiency.”

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According to him, every constituency will have its fair share in the NABCO scheme when it comes to placements.

But speaking on Adom FM’s Morning Show “Dwaso Nsem” Wednesday, Mr. Armah charged graduates to register with the scheme since he sees it as a well-thought-out plan to tackle the unemployment situation in Ghana.

He said there is the need for the youth to identify their talents with the scheme and look for opportunities that abound in their areas of expertise.

Employment Minister; Ignatius Baffour Awuah had said that the New Patriotic Party government has facilitated the creation of 1,096,404 jobs.

The Minister, while speaking at the launch of the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) in Kumasi, last Tuesday noted that the said jobs were only in the formal sector.

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The Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Committee on Employment, Richard Quashigah questioned the claims by the Employment Minister.

But Deputy Information Minister in charge of operations, Perry Curtis Kwabla Okudzeto, speaking on Adom FM’s Morning Show “Dwaso Nsem”, Wednesday, said the details of these jobs are available at the presidency.

According to him, the government will today (Wednesday) make them available to the press for a deeper insight into the figures.

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“I can authoritatively say that government has indeed created over I million jobs and so those who doubt it should just be calm because we have the figures with us as well as the list and they would be made public today for everyone to see what the Akufo Addo government has done,” he said.

Perry Okudzeto indicated that the launch of the Nation Builders Corps will look out for raw talents in the youth as well as persons who can deliver to build skills, network with others and prepare themselves for that dream job.

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“The scheme will concentrate mostly on raw talents to help our youth in the country. All these means Nana Addo is delivering on his promises and should be lauded”, he added.