100,000 Jobs: Prez. Akufo-Addo launches Nation Builders’ Corps

• Posted on May 2, 2018May 2, 2018
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo yesterday launched the much-talk-about Nation Builders’ Corps (NABCO) programme in Kumasi, and announced that 100,000 jobs would be provided for the unemployed graduates in the country this year.

“The Nation Builders’ Corps will employ, in this year alone, 100,000 young men and women to assist in the public sector service delivery needs of our country,” the president announced to a rapturous applause from the crowd that attended the official launch at the Great Hall of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

President Akufo-Addo added, “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.”

Significantly, applicants for the programme should be Ghanaians who have completed their National Service programme.

The application process will begin on June 1, 2018, and it is expected to end on July 1, 2018.

The president announced that those who would make it would be deployed to start work by August 1, this year, indicating that NABCO is one of the best things ever to happen to the country as the government strives to provide jobs and secure the future of the youth.

He said the long history of unemployment, particularly among the youth, is tragic and that the phenomenon had worsened because of the ban placed on public sector employment by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) through its conditionalities.

He gave assurance that he would do everything possible to reverse the trend.

President Akufo-Addo said, “NABCO will enhance the dignity and self-esteem of our graduates, and will also present them with the added benefit of efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of some essential public services.”

He was confident that by the time NABCO trainees exit the scheme, which is for a three-year period, “the requisite work readiness skills and experience, often deemed a barrier to their employment as fresh graduates, would have been resolved.”

He stated that the programme would help to empower the youth and make them responsible for the country, saying that they are expected to play their individual and collective roles to transform the country and create a Better Ghana for the future.

The president said, “There are no charges or costs, and no paper application forms to fill. Everything is being done online, and on the website of NABCO. This will optimise efficiency in the processing of applications, as well as afford the opportunity for checking with other available, national databases to prevent fraud.

“With the application processes closing on 1st June, 2018, it is expected that by 1st July, selected applicants would become this country’s first NABCO trainees to be deployed to commence their work by 1st August, 2018.”

For equity and fairness, the president said that every constituency has a stated allocation out of the 100,000 placements, which has been worked out based on a weighting formula, thus, ensuring that all constituencies, large or small, get adequate representation.

Applicants are guaranteed a monthly stipend of GH¢700.

“This is a modest, but important beginning towards the restoration of their dignity. Beneficiaries will also receive continuous skills training and retraining on the job, both to equip and guide their future career paths,” President Akufo-Addo stated.

He said with the introduction of NABCO, the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), is expected to have the peace of mind to concentrate much on non-graduates, saying, “NABCO is granting YEA extra absorptive capacity to concentrate on non-graduates. YEA will also recruit 80,000 non-graduates this year, whilst NABCO commences recruitment of 100,000 graduates.”

He gave assurance that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government’s commitment to job creation “would be accelerated through the implementation of our flagship programmes like  ‘One District, One Factory,’ ‘One Village, One Dam’ and the ‘ Planting for Food and Jobs.’

“We are also creating an enabling economic environment for the private sector to thrive, which will drive in investment – foreign and domestic – and thereby help create jobs.”

The programme was officially launched to coincide with the May Day celebration.

Several dignitaries, including Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Ministers of state, Council of State members, diplomats, labour experts, among others, were there to support the president.

From I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi