Don’t look for jobs, create them – Joe Ghartey urges Youth

Member of Parliament for Essikado/Ketan Constituency in the Western Region, Joe Ghartey has urged young men and women in the country to be concern about creating jobs for themselves, rather than moving around with their applications among others looking forward to be employed.

To him, having a job of your own is the best practice he would advise any young man and woman to make it a priority rather than focusing on jobs of other entrepreneurs.

The lawmaker made this known in his keynote address at the launch of the University of Professional Studies Accra (UPSA) Enterprise and Innovation Centre which seeks to create an enabling opportunity for the youth through enterprise and innovation.

“Move from the mentality of appointment to a mentality of creation. Don’t look for a job, create a job. Some of the richest people in the world today dreamt when they were your age and today have impacted the whole world. I am sure you know I am talking about Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg and the likes. They are no better than you. You are all creations of God, created wonderfully in his own image. Imagine how many tasks a computer can perform and your mind is more powerful than the computer.

“We in Ghana have produced a Secretary-General of the United Nations, we have people working all over the world including NASA. Professor Allotey, a mathematical genius, comes to mind and many more have come out of Ghana and impacted the world. When our forefathers thought about independence, they had to free their minds first. The youth of today, free your mind. The world is your canvas, use it and paint a masterpiece that we will all applaud. It should be said that if our fathers gave us political independence, this generation has given us economic independence. Let me remind you that, nothing is impossible in the sight of God” he said.

Private Sector Is The Way Forward

The former Attorney General and Minister of Justice who is lacing his boots seriously to contest the flagbearer-ship position in the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) further said the private sector advancement has been the major source of better livelihood, development, improvement in the lives of citizens in other parts of the world, for which same should be adhered to here in Ghana in ways to see young men and women striving successfully in their various fields of work.

He revealed that, the “firm belief that the way forward for us as a country is the private sector. Examples abound around the world, of the private sector being the main engine of growth in several countries” adding that, “countries that not too long ago did not permit a vibrant private sector, today are growing by leaps and bounds largely due to a strong and emerging private sector. There was a time in Ghana where state ownership and the direct participation of the State in economic activity was the order of the day; but this debate between whether it the State or the private sector should be the driving force of the economy, has been effectively settled.”

“As I said previously, there are examples of the private sector being the engine of growth in several countries. This is also the case in Ghana and there are several sectors that the private sector has developed beyond our imagination. The question is what must the State and other stakeholders do to release the energies of our youth and business community in order for them to create wealth? What must be done for opportunities for enterprise and innovation to increase? The answer is not far-fetched and we do not need to look or think far for the answer.

“This shows that a close review of each sector and the legal regime regulating the sector may reveal that a retooling of the legal regime of a sector to enable deeper private sector participation will open up the frontiers of the sector and create more opportunities for all Ghanaians. In some sectors perhaps the only thing that has to be done is a review of the legal framework. There is no doubt that Government can provide incentives to the private sector in order to lead investment to a particular sector. This is by using taxation and tariff reliefs as a tool for economic development.”

He added, “This is already being done and some sectors attract lower tax regimes than others. The rate of taxation also depends in some cases on the location of the business or industry. More education must be given to the public on the various tax incentives and benefits under which Ghanaians can operate, in order to create awareness for the private sector and more business opportunities. Some have argued that at the same time that Government is currently urging all of us to be aligned to our civic responsibilities including the payment of tax, reducing the rate of corporate tax may also have the net effect of increasing our tax revenue. Some countries have done that successfully and it is worth looking at.”

“The area of mobile money transactions is another interesting area. Today momo transactions are nearly US100 billion a year. Look at the number of jobs it has created. Online marketing and sales, delivery services, aboboya and we can go on and on about the opportunities that the private sector has created and continues to create. The future of Ghana is the private sector and it is the private sector that will create jobs for the country. The duty of government is to create an enabling environment which will afford everyone the opportunity to be able to afford at the very least the minimum necessities of life. To the students who are participating in this Initiative and to the youth at large, I say free your mind. Move from the mentality of appointment to a mentality of creation.”