Kwame Awuah-Darko, a farmer and former Managing Director of the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST) asserted that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) could generate 482,000 sustainable jobs in the agricultural sector if elected on December 7.
He criticized the current government’s expenditure of Ghc2.5 billion on the National Builders Corps (NABCO), which he labeled as an unstable initiative that only employed 100,000 youth, with 80% losing their jobs after the program’s closure last year.
“NABCO recruited 100,000 Ghanaians, paying them GHc700 monthly. However, the payments were often delayed. The program run for three years, it means approximately about GHc2.5 billion was used to support the 100,000 Ghanaian youths. Following the program’s closure, fewer than 20,000 beneficiaries secured sustainable jobs”.
In an interview with Kojo Marfo on AbusuaNkommo at ABUSUA965FM, Awuah-Darko emphasized that the funds wasted on NABCO could have been better invested in domestic rice production, potentially developing 42,000 acres of rice farms.
He said “If the gov’t invested ₵2.5 billion spent on NABCO to eradicate rice import dependency, by now we would have been able to develop 42,000 acres of rice in Ghana”
He added that “every acre of rice can create 7 sustainable jobs. Meaning we would have 294,000 people currently having sustainable jobs”, Darko emphasized.
Awuah Darko pointed out that the amount spent on the unsustainable NABCO could have generated over GHc3 billion for the nation if invested in rice production for just three years.
“with the GHc2.5 billion allocated to NABCO, if it had been invested in rice production for three years, we would have earned GHc4 billion”, he noted.
Awuah-Darko explained that the next NDC government will reduce rice imports if it invests in the agricultural sector, utilizing the same amount spent on NABCO trainees. This investment would enable the production of 3,000 tonnes of rice.
He emphasized “A tonne of rice we currently import has a base cost of GHc8,000. If we had invested in 42,000 acres of rice production, we would have produced over 3,000 tonnes of rice.”
Awuah Darko strongly criticized the government, pointing out that all youth employment programs initiated have failed, as evident from labour statistics.
“The unemployment rate has surged significantly from 8% in 2016 to over 20% currently, indicating that NABCO and other youth employment programs have been unsuccessful”, Awuah opined.
He firmly rejected claims that the NDC and the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) are alike, stating, “The NDC invests in productive sectors of the economy, not consumption”.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Kwadwo Owusu
