Lack of employment, bane of social stability - Thompson

Elmina, June 5, GNA - An Economic Consultant, Dr Nii Moi Thompson has said that it was imperative for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) as policy makers, to create conducive environment that will foster the growth, expansion as well as the sustenance of small and medium scale enterprises to stimulate economic activities in their areas.

According to him the creation of more employment through the private sector was one of the surest means of stemming social instability when often occur due to lack of gainful employment to help eradicate poverty.

At a day's technical training workshop on; "decent job creation" for district level functionaries including the Sub-Committees for Production and Gainful Employment (SPGEs), District Chief Executives and Coordinating Directors, Dr Thompson called on all stakeholders to work in concert to ensure that the objective of the project succeeds. The SPGEs has been instituted in seven out of the 17 districts in the Central Region as a poverty eradication project by the International Labour Organization (ILO) to promote dialogue and build partnership between the assemblies and small/medium scale businesses to exploit and harness opportunities and resources in their areas for increased production and job creation.

The beneficiary districts are Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam, Twifo-Hemang-Lower Denkyira, Mfantsiman, Effutu, Awutu-Senya, Gomoa East and Agona West and that the project also seeks to address low productivity, limited access to credit, and low level of technological use as well as enhance innovation and stem poverty among farmers and other entrepreneurs.

Dr Thompson, who is also an International Project Expert on Local Economic Development (LED) of the ILO said the link between macro-economic stability and putting money in the pocket of the ordinary Ghanaian was the creation of abundant employment particularly in the private sector.

The Deputy Director at the Regional Coordinating Council, Mr Kwame Oppong stressed the need for the individual Ghanaian to be empowered to be self-reliant to help eliminate poverty.

He said it was unfortunate that the region which is endowed with both natural and human resources was lagging behind in development and called on all stakeholders to be committed, selfless and dedicated and work together to change the poverty profile of the region.

Mr Emmanuel Baisie, National Project Officer of LED re-echoed calls on policy makers to ensure that policies are geared towards employment creation and regretted that the districts assemblies lacked clear cut policies and planning for job creation.