Director at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER)-University of Ghana, Professor Peter Quartey has provided reasons for the need for government to focus on agriculture to curb the unemployment menace in the country.
He said the agriculture and manufacturing sectors will be the surest way to deliver sustainable jobs to tackle the youth unemployment menace.
The professor said given the enormous amount of arable land available in all parts of the country, it presents the best opportunity for government to introduce policies that will make agriculture attractive to the youth – as its value chain will further lead to job creation in the manufacturing sector.
“Agriculture and manufacturing are the two areas where we should be creating more jobs. We have to make agriculture more attractive. We have a lot of fertile land, so we can go into commercial farming and support large-scale farmers.
“Then, we look at the value chain. We need to process more of the agriculture products. Once you process, it becomes manufacturing. To what extent are we promoting the manufacturing of agriculture products? This is for the private sector, but government should provide the enabling environment for the private sector to flourish and be able to expand and employ more,” Prof. Quartey said in an interview with B&FT.
Another area the professor encouraged government to be particular about is the financial sector, as its robustness is what drives economies that want to industrialise and create jobs. “The financial sector should also be looked at because it is the engine of growth. When it goes down, it affects all critical sectors. So, agriculture, industry and the financial sectors should be the main areas driving job creation,” he said.