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!!!
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Pradmat2013@gmail.com (0553318911)
By Dr. Kofi Amponsah-Bediako
THE typical itinerant salesman in Sikaman is a herbalist. He is normally a slim macho with the capacity to perambulate the expanse of area covering the triangle of Accra-Tema-Ashiaman. In short, he can walk a total of 60 miles a day, marketing a product that cures every disease, including poverty. 
The door-to-door herbal pharmacist advertises his product by word of mouth. He has nothing to do with the Food and Drugs Board (FDB). After all, his concoctions do not feature on FM stations.
Those herbalists who cannot walk to propagate the herbal gospel, liaise with drivers of mass transportation and their mates. They are, therefore, given the chance to sell their products on Benz buses that ply the routes.
Normally, the herbalist starts his sales message with a prayer and Bible study. He asks the passengers to bow down their heads in supplication to God the father, the son, the Holy Spirit.
When a herbalist asks the passengers to close their eyes and bow their heads, Moslems on board naturally feel offended. They feel that the herbalist has no right to assume that every passenger is a Christian. They think such an assumption is an affront to Islam.
So a Moslem on board will raise the hand for a point of order. He’ll remind the herbalist that it would be in his own interest to mind his language.
“Be careful the way you address people in a public place. Not every person here is a Christian,” he’d state assertively.
Of course, the herbalist will promptly ignore him, but would all the same “watch” his tongue. Who knows whether or not the Moslem brother is inspired by Quoranic zeal to defend the tenets of Islam to the hilt?
When he starts saying, “Wallahi!” and “Inshallah!” it could be the beginning of proclaiming Islam as supreme, a point which must be driven home with talibanic precision.
So the herbalist must tread carefully lest he steps on fire.
The herbalist could even add a measure of mirth to it all, by announcing that Christians on board today have very interesting company on the journey, but that should not detract from the business of the day.
The Moslem brother will weigh the words carefully and offer a wry smile.
He must be careful the occasion does not degenerate into the use of semantics and proverbial oration to deride his conviction that public utterances must be mindful of religious sensibilities. He has made his point very clear and expects that it is taken in good faith in the interest of a peaceful journey.
The herbalist will now open the New Testament and preach salvation, stating clearly that salvation can come only through Jesus Christ and NOBODY else.
The Moslem brother will now start twitching his moustache. The visible and almost revolutionary reflexes of his upper lip can be an indication that sentiments have begun superseding reason, and the outcome could well be tragic now shift uneasily in his seat.
The time has come for him to also express his right to the religion of his fore-bears. He’ll put his hand into his pocket and rise to his feet. The time has indeed come!
This article was first published on Saturday, September 9, 2006
When the cause of a particular problem like sickness, disease, sudden illness, a social issue etc. are not known, it stands to reason that resolving it becomes a huge challenge.
Citizens would understand the government when public announcements are made to the effect that government is trying to find a solution to the issue, even though it is taking a while for it to be resolved because citizens are rational beings.
On the other hand, if the solution to a particular issue is known to everybody but the government for whatever reason, is dragging its feet in resolving it, citizens become frustrated and begin to lose trust in their leaders.
One such issue is the heavy traffic along a section of the Kasoa – Odokor road. A short stretch of bad road between the traffic light at the Weija Government Hospital and the entrance to the entrance of the overhead that leads to the N1, is the cause of the problem but nothing is being done about it, day after day, week after week, month after month. Thus is clearly unacceptable.
Another issue that requires urgent attention is the lack of pavements along a lot of streets in parts of the various Municipal Assemblies. Exercise is a prerequisite for long life and healthy living and for those of us who it has become a way of life, this issue of people putting up structures right to the edge of the drains beside the roads, are making life difficult for us.
We are compelled to walk along the roads, putting our lives at serious risk. Pedestrians should never be compelled to compete with vehicles on our streets and roads. Roads and streets are made for vehicles and pavements are made for pedestrians. That is the norm. Any attempt to normalise a situation where pedestrians are mingling with vehicles is insanity.
It is the road regulations that makes it so and therefore district or municipal assemblies are to take responsibility and ensure that spaces for pavements are not encroached upon. Citizens have rights that must be protected by their leaders and making pavements available to pedestrians, is one of them.
When we hear of teachers having sex with students, it appears it is something recent. It is not a new phenomenon. It has been there since Adam. Perhaps this issue is getting much attention due to the proliferation of social media. It was an open secret in times past when Teachers were in relationships with female students and some married them immediately after completion of school.
Some teachers were also known to be having unholy interactions with female pupils but due to the times that these acts occurred, human rights issues and the awareness around it, allowed such unscrupulous teachers to get away with their crimes.
Now we are in a different era and so a Headmaster is now in hot waters. He is alleged to have raped about 19 female students and as usual, some officials tried to cover it up and are also in hot waters and their actions or inactions in the matter are under investigation.
Why the man has been allowed to roam freely without being arrested is simply mind boggling. It appears that the law applies differently, depending on who you are. This issue came to public attention sometime in August this year, yet the police had not arrested or invited this man for question regarding the rape allegation.
It has come out that he is a Constituency Secretary of the ruling party and the question in the public domain is that, is it because he is a political figure that is why he is still walking around without questioning? I believe in the rule of law so let us hold our breadth and let the proper thing be done.
The police must however be seen to be active in this matter. God bless.
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