Stop deceiving Ghanaians –Boniface tells President Mahama

A former Minister of Employment under the erstwhile Kufuor administration Abubakar Saddique Boniface is asking President John Dramani Mahama to stop deceiving Ghanaians that his administration has created hundreds of jobs.

According to him, Ghanaians, especially the youth would not be complaining of lack of jobs, if indeed his (Mahama) administration has created jobs as he wants Ghanaians to believe.

President John Dramani Mahama, who was addressing staff and students of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) as part of his ‘Accounting to the People’ tour of the Central Region, outlined several interventions by his administration which he said have resulted in the creation of hundreds of jobs for Ghanaians.

He indicated that a project to achieve the production of 20 million broilers to reduce the importation of poultry products by 40 percent by the end of this year has begun.

“This will save the economy about $150 million per annum in poultry exports and this has created 8,150 direct and indirect jobs for poultry farmers,” he said.

Story by: Michael Creg Afful

“A similar project in rice production has succeeded in cutting down our rice imports from $392.3 million in 2013 to $215.23 million in 2014,” he added.

He said his administration’s direct support to local pharmaceutical entities to the tune of ¢51 million is also expected to reduce the country’s pharmaceutical imports.

He added that the savanna cement factory at Buipe has also employed 2000 young people to work at the factory.

However, speaking on Oman FM Abubakar Saddique Boniface accused President Mahama of being economical with the truth, saying what President Mahama has been saying is contrary to the realities on the grounds.

“As we speak nursing trainees have been made to complete job application forms but for more than one year they are still at home. Graduates from our tertiary institutions have been in the house for close to five years without jobs. Teacher trainees who are supposed to be posted to go and teach have still not been posted meanwhile some of the schools are without teachers. So he shouldn’t deceive us because of the upcoming elections.”

Abubakar Saddique Boniface, who is the New Patriotic Party Parliamentary candidate for Madina constituency noted that agric and industry sectors which are the main drivers of the economy have declined under Mahama administration.

This he said is the reason why “there are no jobs.”

“There are no jobs. If there are jobs I don’t think Ghanaians would be complaining of lack of jobs, he said.

He said the unemployment situation in the country is so dire that it has forced many people onto the streets to engage in selling of dog chains.

Abubakar Saddique Boniface said when his party was in power between 2001 and 2008 they implemented several programmes including the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) with several modules to address the unemployment situation at that era.

He said one of the sectors Kufuor administration paid much attention to was the construction sector because it has the capacity to employ hundreds of people.

“In those days everywhere you passed you will see construction works ongoing and so the economy was growing, but is not like that under Mahama administration,” he stated.

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