Features
Essence of the Nation Builders Corps
All too soon, the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) has chalked three-and-a-half years after being introduced in the country as part of efforts by government to deal with the problem of youth unemployment in the country and the evidence for this laudable programme is there for all to see.
It has helped to ease pressure on unemployed graduates from our tertiary institutions. As a result, many of them can depend on their own selves for their basic personal expenditure instead of depending on their parents or guardians.
JOB MARKET
The programme is meant to prepare them adequately for the future job market and to make them more competent regarding their employable skills. If such skills are not well developed, it will adversely affect the employment potentials of such graduates.
All these go to show the significance of the programme which has come in at the right time to address the unemployment problem facing the youth. It is for this reason that the marking of at least three years of the programme is most appropriate, very welcome and also constitutes a step in the right direction.
At the same time, a new Module has been launched known as NABCO Skills and Talent Academy.This module is meant to unearth the skills and talents inherent in the personnel who are to operate under the programme. Other new modules have been included in the NABCO programme.
UNTAPPED SKILLS
Many a time, skills and talents of individuals, though essential, are left untapped and unexplored leading to much waste in human resources that could be utilised to turn round the fortunes of the nation and push it to a higher level of progress and development. Individual talent of the youth ought to be thoroughly tapped, explored to its full potential and developed to its full potential as a way of helping to maximise productivity at all fronts in all sectors in the economy.
Ultimately, a new module like the NABCO Skills and Talent Academy, will lead to increased job satisfaction and morale among the beneficiaries as future permanent employees, increased employee motivation, increased efficiency in processes, resulting in financial gain, increased capacity to adopt new technologies and methods as well as increased innovation in strategies and products. Thus, the progamme has great potentials for the entire country.
TRANSFORMING THE COUNTRY
What is being done today is what is necessary to transform the potential of the country in terms of increased productivity which will ultimately lead to maximum employment of the youth and generate massive and extensive welfare through economic development in the country. Carefully examined, NABCO has come as a strategic stop-gap measure meant to address youth unemployment in the country and bring down needless tension in all parts of the nation.
It is a programme that must be supported by everyone as a way of creating employment, even if on temporary basis for now, to bring about economic peace while we are given some room to adequately operate and manoeuvre in more comprehensive socio-economic terms for the common good for the nation. We expect all NABCO beneficiaries to put in their best and make maximum use of the opportunity provided them under the programme. Any form of indiscipline should never be tolerated.
ISSUE OF UNEMPLOYMENT
All over the world, the issue of unemployment today keeps threatening the peace and survival of mankind. This explains why Ghana’s innovative approach to the problem of unemployment must be appreciated and supported by all. Despite the challenges ahead, Ghana will have to work hard to emerge victorious in the fight against unemployment. This is because the ultimate success of the NABCO programme depends on all stakeholders so let us work hard towards its desired purpose.
The disturbingly unpleasant and unpalatable unemployment situation facing the world today is a matter of great concern to all governments, seeing that it is a problem that cannot be easily ignored or swept under the carpet.The reason for this is not far-fetched because unemployment is a potentially exclusive situation that can disturb the peace in any country. It is for this reason that efforts being made by the government of Ghana to address the problem are most welcome.
The intervention measure through the creation of a Nation Builders Corps has come in at a time when the youth of this country were almost reaching the level of hopelessness and anxiety in their socio-economic lives. To begin with, it has helped to ease pressure on unemployed graduates from our tertiary institutions. As a result, many of them can depend on their own selves for their basic personal expenditure instead of depending on their parents or guardians.
WHAT IS NECCESSARY
The point has already been made that what is being done today is what is necessary to transform the potential of the country in terms of increased productivity which will ultimately lead to maximum employment of the youth and generate massive and extensive welfare through economic development in the country. Carefully examined, NABCO has come as a strategic stop-gap measure meant to address youth unemployment in the country and bring down needless tension in all parts of the country.
Rome was not built in a day but through systematic gradual systems and policies that had helped in the transformation of socio-economic development. If Ghana is also to move ahead and compete favourably with other countries in the world, then we need to think of internally generated economic programmes that will help to transform the development agenda of the country.
TEMPORARY MEASURE
There is no doubt that NABCO is only a temporary measure that cannot be said to have solved the unemployment programme the country is facing. However, thinking about the numerous young persons who are now employed, even if temporarily, with an income that cannot be said to be adequate for complete survival, it is important for us to recognise that the nature of the stop-gap measure of the programme has come to solve some problems that the youth in the country were facing.
Certainly, NABCO cannot be the final blueprint for unemployment in the country. However, it is helping to deal with a problematic situation in form of unemployment that is confronting the youth in this country. It is a creative way of dealing with the unemployed situation, on temporary basis, while we allow the economy to expand and provide a form of improved employment for people in the country.
This is important because we must succeed!!!
Contact email/whatsApp of author:
Pradmat2013@gmail.com (0553318911)
By Dr. Kofi Amponsah-Bediako
Conflict at work is more common than you might think. According to 2022 research by The Myers-Briggs Company, more than a third of the workforce reports dealing with conflict often, very often, or all the time in the workplace.
Addressing a dispute might feel tense or awkward, but resolving the conflict is typically well worth it in the long run. Whether you are trying to mediate conflict between colleagues or are directly involved. Last week we looked at three and this week is the remaining four steps you can take to manage workplace conflict.
4. Find common ground
The best way to handle workplace conflict is to start with what you can agree on. Find common ground between the people engaging in conflict. If you are directly involved in the conflict, slow down and focus on results instead of who’s right.
If you are the mediator for conflict resolution between coworkers, observe the discussion and help point out the common ground others may not see.
5. Collectively brainstorm solutions
When deciding how to handle workplace conflict, it can be tempting to problem-solve on your own. Sometimes, it feels easier to work independently rather than collaboratively. However, if you want to achieve a lasting resolution, you will need to motivate your team to get involved.
Brainstorm possible solutions together, and solicit input from everyone involved on the pros and cons of each option until you settle on a solution that feels comfortable to everyone. This will help all team members feel a sense of ownership that can help prevent future conflicts.
6. Create an action plan
Once you have created an open dialogue around workplace conflicts, it is time to resolve them. Just like any other work goal, this requires creating a concrete plan and following through.
Create an action plan and then act on it. It does not matter what the plan is, as long as you commit to it and resolve the conflict as a result.
7. Reflect on what you learned
All conflicts offer an opportunity to grow and become a better communicator. Identify what went well and what did not.
Work with your whole team to gather learnings from the conflict so you can avoid similar situations in the future.
Today, I continue with my narration of personalities and their accomplishments as members of the Ghanaian Diaspora in Finland, with a focus on Mr Joseph Osei Amoah.
Mr Amoah is one of the senior members of the Ghanaian community in Finland and a top member of the Ghana Union Finland, an association of the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland.
He is an active and a well-respected person in the Ghanaian community in Finland. Mr Osei Amoah moved to Finland in the mid-1990s, and he has lived in Helsinki all this time.
Accomplishments and honours
It is important to recount accomplishments as part of the success stories of the personalities of Ghanaian descent in Finland in order to highlight their exploits both within the Ghanaian migrant community and in the wider Finnish society.
Mr Amoah holds a Master’s degree in Demography from the University of Helsinki. At the time he came to Finland in 1994, he had majored in Economics at the Bachelor’s level at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
Sometimes affectionately called “Chairman” in the Ghanaian migrant community, Mr Osei is a former Chairman of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) branch in Finland, assuming office around 2015, a few months after the branch was formed, until 2019 when he did not run again for the elections. He helped to bring vibrancy into the NPP Finland branch.
Religious life
Mr Amoah is a prominent member of the Global Methodist Church in Finland. In spite of his busy working life and other responsibilities, he remains a committed member of the Global Methodist Church in Finland.
He plays a key leadership role in the church, which is attended by many Ghanaian migrants and other African migrants, Finns, and those of other nationalities.
His position in Asanteman Finland
Mr Osei Amoah is an outstanding member of the Asanteman Finland, where he is the Gyasehene, a prominent position as a sub-chief in the Asante (and Akan) royal hierarchy, in the functioning of the traditional authority systemgenerally in Ghana.
The Asanteman Finland is an association formed purposely with the aim of supporting each other as well as to ensure unity among its members and others outside of the group.
One of its top priorities of Asanteman Finland is to display the Asante culture in Finland. Mr Osei Amoah finds this as very important since by upholding the traditional culture and heritage, the association enables its members and especially the young ones to get the chance to learn and appreciate Asante and Ghanaian cultural values. They do this through rites such as marriage, the naming ceremony, and death and funeral rites, which makes the people to learn more of their provenance and not forget their origins.
“My point is that, by displaying the traditional heritage it helps people to learn more about their provenance. For, I think it will be embarrassing to go home and see that even the young ones have much knowledge about how to perform certain rites whilst those of us in the diaspora may be deficient in understanding those practices”, he argued. It is also very important for the young ones who are born in Finland to learn what the culture of their original society is, he continued.
The Finnish educational system
Mr Osei has a lot to say about the Finnish educational system, which he sees as very good. “When we came to Finland, education was free. There were library books and manuscripts readily available in the library, and one could print or make as many photocopies as possible for your studies. There was more flexibility. One could read books and write exams on them for the necessary grades in order to complete your studies”. In his opinion, Ghana could learn much from the Finnish system, which is one of the best in the world.
He said the only initial challenge he found in Finland was how to master the Finnish language, without which it was difficult to get a job befitting one’s status after the studies. But things have changed today and there are many English courses so it is easy to study and get a job that matches your studies, especially in the area of ICT, he said.
His role in the Ghanaian community
Mr Osei Amoah has been very active in the Ghanaian community, as I have indicated earlier. He is still very active in the Ghana Union Finland, and has played a leadership in many functions organised by the Union, as a non-governmental organisation for the Ghanaian migrant community in Finland.
Mr Amoah has been a counsellor and mentor who has guided many young Ghanaian migrants on their career paths and has also been part in settling various kinds of conflicts between opposing parties or persons. In conclusion, I would say Mr Osei Amoah has succeeded in embossing his name in the golden pages of visionary Ghanaians in both Sweden and Finland.
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
