The government has outlined plans to create about 1 million jobs as part of a three-year strategy to address youth unemployment in the country.
Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, made this known during his presentation of the mid-year fiscal policy review to Parliament on Thursday, July 29, 2021.
He said: “I have had extensive discussions with my colleague Ministers of Employment and Labor Relations, Youth & Sports and Lands & Natural Resources. These conversations culminated in a comprehensive strategy to sustainably address youth unemployment. New programmes will be introduced and existing ones scaled-up and refocused to meet the aspirations of our youth.
“We will work together to sensitize and connect the youth to the numerous opportunities being made available by Government programmes, including a 3-year strategy to create job opportunities for 1 million Ghanaian youth. There are currently about 5 ongoing programmes through which we intend to create these jobs,” he said.
Although the economic disruptions occasioned by the COVID-19 has led to more people losing their jobs, Mr. Ofori-Atta said the government’s plan to reboot the economy and set it back in motion through the Gh¢100 billion Ghana CARES ‘Obaatanpa’ revitalization programme will be vital in the country’s journey towards the creation of this 1 million jobs.
The government through the 2021 budget statement and economic policy introduced new taxes on petroleum products, 1% COVID-19 Health Levy on VAT Flat Rate Scheme and 1% on the National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL) as part of revenue measures to help the economy recover from the effects of the global pandemic.
In June, deputy Finance Minister Abena Osei Asare said Ghanaians should prepare to pay more taxes as the government seeks to embark on an aggressive domestic revenue mobilization drive to mitigate the negative impact of COVID-19 on the economy.
