A major programme to tackle graduate unemployment in Ghana is set to be launched by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on 1st May 2018, May Day, a very important day for workers across the world.

To be known as the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO), this programme will initially operate seven modules designed to meet the pressing needs of the nation while providing jobs for the teeming youth who have received tertiary education but are struggling to find jobs.

The Vice President of the Republic, H.E. Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, who announced the launch of this major initiative on Saturday 21st April, 2018 at Winneba, said 100,000 graduates who have completed their National Service are expected to be engaged under NABCO this year.

Vice President Bawumia made the disclosure when he addressed the 2016/2017 graduates of the University of Education, Winneba at the University’s 22nd Congregation.

While challenging the new graduates to “go out there and make a difference”, Dr Bawumia said government is seriously engaged in thinking through solutions to the unemployment situation, especially graduate unemployment.

“Last year Ghana's economy grew from 3.7% to 8.5%; that was the fastest growing economy in the world last year. But this growth has to translate into jobs.

“We are embarking on a new programme that the President is going to launch on May Day, and it is targeted at graduate unemployment. It is called the Nation Builders Corps and it is to supplement all the other programmes run by the Youth Employment Agency and the others. The Nation Builders Corps is going to be hiring graduates.”

Throwing further light on the new programme, Vice President Bawumia explained:

“You have 7 modules that are going to be outdoored: The Feed Ghana module where you want to have people who would go in as agric extension officers to help our farmers. You have the Educate Ghana module where we want people to help in our High schools for teaching especially science and mathematics. The Revenue Ghana module will take graduates into the Ghana Revenue Authority to help in the collection of revenue. You have the Heal Ghana module where you will employ nurses who have been sitting at home for years without jobs; we will be finding them space in the Heal Ghana module.”

He continued,

“We will have the Enterprise Ghana module where you will assign graduates to various private sector enterprises for jobs and skills training as well as development. Then you have the Digitise Ghana module where graduates will be sent to the IT sector for the Digital Ghana agenda, the transformation agenda, where they will be attached to the NIA or to the Ghana Post or to the Birth and Death Registry or to the Land Registry. They will be doing digitisation work for this country.

“We also have the Governance Ghana module where people will be attached to various local authorities.

“We are beginning this and this year by the grace of God we will be recruiting 100,000 graduates.”

The Vice President indicated that the Nation Builders Corps will be national in character, and hire graduates across the length and breathe of the country.

“It is a broad based programme which will spread across every constituency in this country. The minimum number of graduates per constituency under this program that will be hired would be 300, and it will go up to 450 depending on the size of that particular constituency or district.

“This is a major initiative that will be launched on May 1st, and for those who have completed their national service recruitment will start on that day online,” he disclosed.

A total of 16,153 students received Certificates, Diplomas, First and second Degrees and Postgraduate awards at the University’s 22nd Congregation.