Story By: Henrietta Afful
The Nation Builders Corps (NABCO), is an initiative introduced by President Akufo-Addo to address the teeming unemployment problem in Ghana.
The programme offered employment for graduates under seven (7) modules. These are Educate Ghana; Heal Ghana; Feed Ghana; Revenue Ghana; Digitise Ghana; Enterprise Ghana; and Civic Ghana.
Launched on Tuesday 1st May, 2018, the first batch of beneficiaries of the programme officially ended their stipulated tenure of three years this year (October 2021).
With the contract over and the directive by the Ghana Standards Authority, (GSA ) to trainees to proceed on leave, many of the trainees are unsure what their fate will be.
Waging into the conversation on the topic, “NABCO ends, what next” on the Breakfast Show on GTV, Public Relations Officer of the NABCO Trainees, Nana Tachie says beneficiaries of the programme are psychologically traumatized as there has not been any official communication from management.
Nana Tachie said with their tenure over, the 73,000 trainees are worried about their current status. He said trainees are unsure whether the permanent jobs promised them under the Career Pathway Transition process would come into fruition.
“The idea of the NABCO initiative was not only to equip graduates with pragmatic experience but the core objective was to improve skills and employability for transition to permanent status” he added.
He said trainees have benefited immensely from the programme however, getting permanent placement is what is lacking.
He therefore appealed to the government to come to their aid and not allow the experiences gained over the three-year period to go to waste.
For his part a Labour Consultant, Mr Ben Arthur said NABCO is an incubation programme where trainees are given transition to acquire and develop their skills over a period of time.
Mr Arthur said such programmes have exit periods and NABCO trainees were therefore notified that the programme would come to an end.
“The whole idea of NABCO is not to create permanency. It is a transition and those who are beneficiaries ought to understand that ” he added.
He urged trainees to exercise patience and give the government time to fulfill his promise to them. He said if NABCO is going to end there is the need for the government to come out with a well-structured exit implementation plan.
On what Management of NABCO can do, the Consultant said officials of NABCO must communicate with the trainees.
“Keeping quiet at this time is not helpful. There is the need to allow information to flow, to let trainees know whether they are going home for a period or they are going home outright or they are proceeding on leave” he cautioned.
Mr Ben Arthur, noted that the current employment trend and pattern in Ghana calls for graduates to focus on self-employment after graduating from school.
Mr Arthur said the public sector offers very little employment opportunities hence graduates must focus on other alternatives such as entrepreneurship rather than relying on the government for job placement and permanent employment.
“Aside from relying on the government for permanency, the reality of our time is that you have to look at entrepreneurship as an alternative.”
He said there are restrictions in the public sector and the Finance Minister has given indications to that so trainees must look at other options.
Mr Arthur said apart from socialist states like North Korea, no government has increasing capacity to employ the large numbers of its labour force, worldwide.
He said about 90% of the workforce in Ghana are entrepreneurs and advised graduates to look at the option of self-employment as a means to an end.
Making recommendations on what the government can also do to improve the next phase of NABCO, Mr Arthur said instead of paying NABCO trainees, the government can use it as a re-subsidy programme for Enterprises.
He said the government can partner enterprises to absolve the trainees and then pay a lump sum to the companies as a loan so they can in-turn pay the trainees. This, he said, will support enterprises and help situate NABCO very well.
Mr Arthur said the National Service Scheme, NABCO, National Employment and Innovation programme and Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) must be centralized at the Ministry of Employment because they are the heart of the employment coordination function in Ghana.
On his part, the Chief Executive Officer of PlayAfrica, Isaac Yeboah Filson, said employment is very important for the youth but politics has been a hindrance.
Mr Isaac Yeboah Filson said this via zoom.
Mr Filson said the core objectives of NABCO was to provide temporary employment, ensure trainees acquire experience and improve revenue mobilization and access to basic public services. However, the main focus for people has been the skills and employability aspect.
He noted that NABCO is temporary and trainees must accept that.
Mr Filson urged the government to critically focus on the sustainability and exit plan if NABCO is to continue.
The views were expressed on GTV’s Breakfast Show November 2, 2021.