President Akufo-Addo addresses workers at Black Star Square
GUTA bemoans lack of jobs and opportunities lost to foreign nationals
President of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) has expressed concern over the millions of Ghanaian youth who are still unemployed despite many job opportunities in the country.
According to him, Ghana has vast job opportunities throughout the country hence the issue of youth unemployability is one that must rather be critically looked at and addressed.
In an interaction with journalists to mark this year’s May Day celebrations, the GUTA president however bemoaned the spate of job opportunities being lost in the informal sector to foreign nationals, especially from Togo, Lebanon and others.
"Why would someone go for a Togolese tile maker when we also have skilled tile makers in the country and the same for dressmakers and other key areas of need. We need to rely on our own artisans instead of foreigners and by doing this, we can create value for own artisans and experts to improve the domestic economy," he told GhanaWeb.
“There are millions of jobs scattered around the country. The problem we are facing is not youth unemployment, rather, youth unemployability,” the GUTA president added.
He added the although government has implemented a number of youth-focused job opportunities such as the One-District, One Factory initiative, and others, there still remain factories that are many still making losses.
He explained the losses are due to the lack of skilled and employable professionals who can manage and operate the machines and tools of these factories.
“We can’t resurrect the dark days or industrial revolution when many of our state-owned factories had to shut down because of lack of skilled labour. Government must take vocational training a lot more serious to prevent unemployment crises,” Dr Obeng indicated.
President of the Ghana Union of Traders Association, Dr. Joseph Obeng