Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has accused the John Dramani Mahama administration of abandoning key initiatives introduced under the Akufo-Addo government, thereby exacerbating Ghana’s unemployment situation.
He made the remarks at the grand durbar, homecoming, and handing-over ceremony of the Asante Students Union at the University of Ghana on Sunday, August 17, 2025.
In his address, the lawmaker stated that the scrapping of flagship policies, such as the One District One Factory programme and related tax exemptions, has discouraged investment and slowed job creation.
He further noted that the discontinuation of 1D1F and the suspension of tax waivers supporting industries had eliminated opportunities for sustainable employment.
“More than one in every four Ghanaians wakes up each morning with no meaningful job to go to. Our overall unemployment rate is nearly 15%, according to official sources. When young people can’t find jobs, it is not just an economic problem; it becomes a threat to our national security in a region experiencing various forms of armed conflict,” he said.
“This is what it means—when the government fails to create the right economic environment to inspire the creation of new jobs, young people must innovate to create their own. When leaders won’t build opportunities, the next generation of leaders must build them from scratch. The choice is simple: either we solve the unemployment crisis, or it will solve us in ways we won’t like,” he added.
He went on to state that of overpaid loans under the Microfinance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC).
“Over GH¢291 million loaned to small businesses through MASLOC remains unpaid after 12 years, as of February last year. In our banking sector, GH¢654 million vanished as bad debt in just five months this year.
“In the momo sector, people borrow and simply disappear into the digital darkness. This culture is a cancer eating at our economic soul,” he noted.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana