Funding For NaBCo Not A Problem ― Oppong Nkrumah

Information Minister-designate, Mr. Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, has berated comments that the newly instituted Nation Builder’s Corps (NaBCo) programme, will face challenges and eventually collapse.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) among other chief critics of government, have speculated that the initiative is not sustainable since it had not been indicated where funds would be garnered to pay the 100,000 graduates engaged under the programme.

Both well-wishers and perceived detractors had called for a dedicated source of funding to sustain the programme but Mr. Oppong Nkrumah said government will in no way struggle to pay the NaBCo employees.

He added that the program would be funded on a module similar to what is used to fund public sector salaries.

“I’ve heard people suggest that we need to find a dedicated revenue channel for it. But my response to them is that if you look at many of our public service agencies, we don’t have dedicated revenue channels for paying for example the police or military or many of the other agencies because government is committed to taking care of them,” he said.

The minister continued: “Month by month basis, resources are made available. That same level of commitment is what is available on this [NaBCo] programme and we expect to sustain it as such.”

Wish us well

Mr. Oppong Nkrumah further urged critics to be constructive in the criticism of the NaBCo initiative rather than being doomsayers.

“We expect the Minority to encourage us and provide constructive criticism in implementing our major campaign promises and interventions but not wish our downfall,” he said.

The MP however noted that the Akufo-Addo government is doing all it can to deal with the unemployment menace it inherited from the erstwhile Mahama administration of the NDC.

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Wednesday commissioned 100,000 beneficiaries of the NaBCo program.

Beneficiaries will be placed under seven modules including Feed Ghana, Educate Ghana, Revenue Ghana, Heal Ghana, Enterprise Ghana, Digitise Ghana and Governance Ghana and would be paid a stipend of GH¢700, monthly.

The president urged the beneficiary not to consider the stipend as free money but work hard to earn it.

“You must bear in mind that government is investing some GH¢3 billion cedis of taxpayers’ money into this programme. Your monthly GH¢700 is not free money and you must earn every pesewa of it which I’m confident you’ll do,” he said.

By: Grace Ablewor Sogbey/ [email protected]

…NDC Raises Red Flags

By: Emmanuel Yeboah Britwum

An aspiring National Youth Organizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Wonder Madilo has raised concern over the number of unemployed graduates registered under the Nation Builders Corps (NaBCo) that passed out yesterday at the Independence Square.

According to him, the number of recruits that showed up at the inaugural ceremony is less than the 100,000 members government claims to have recruited, hence he suspects ghost names in the scheme.

He made this allegation during a pre-election debate for aspirants in the party’s upcoming National Executive Elections.

President Akufo-Addo on Wednesday graduated recruits of the NaBCo who have accepted their postings.

Graduates from the Central, Western, Ashanti, Eastern, Volta and Greater Accra regions converged at the Black Star Square for the national ceremony, whiles the Northern, Upper East, Upper West and the Brong Ahafo regions were asked to send representatives to the ceremony.

However, there was low turn out of the recruits at the inaugural ceremony.

The NDC believes the recruits are not up to the number being speculated by government.

Mr. Madilo who is former MCE for Akuapem North, said “I know the capacity of the square. Are you telling me that the number of people there was equal to anywhere near the 100,000? I know there will be ghost names on that payroll.”

The debate which is the first of its kind, was organized by the Centre for Social Democracy (CSD-Ghana) in partnership the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES).

Aspiring candidates for the National Youth Organizing position made up of Yaw Brogya Gemfi, George Opare Addo and Wonder Madilo, took turns to communicate their ideas to delegates who had gathered at the auditorium.

The debate was attended by Ambassador Lee Okran, Member of Parliament for Tamale North, Alhassan Suhunyi, and some members of the NDC.

It seeks to promote a healthy competition among aspirants to explicitly explain their idea to delegates and also engender internal democracy within the NDC.