Economist, Rev. Dr. Sam Worlanyoh has called for the inclusion of entrepreneurial in tertiary education in Ghana as shared insights into effective strategies for addressing the increasing unemployment rates among university graduates in the country.
This follows the current surge of unemployment among university graduates due to the inability of the Ghana Employment Association to secure job placements for them.
In an interview with Univers News, Rev. Dr. Worlanyoh highlighted the importance of integrating entrepreneurial skills into the tertiary education curriculum, further stressing on how entrepreneurial training could provide employment opportunities for the graduates.
“…the main aim of university education is to help you to reason. To at least look for solutions to challenges. And so once you are a graduate, the knowledge you have acquired is to help you to reason… to establish yourself. To establish something. To start something.”
“As I indicated, the entrepreneurial skills that we need to add to every [level of] education as well as the tertiary education is also not there. So, at the end of the day, our graduates should also think and reason. When they are able to reason to that level, that will be translated into productive activity.”
The economist also noted that should the issue persist, unemployment rates could escalate into a national security issue.
“The issue of unemployment is becoming a national security issue and is definitely creating a platform for insecurity and instability.”
With calls to the tertiary education sector and the government to implement measures to mitigate unemployment, Rev. Worlanyoh urged the youth and graduates to explore opportunities offered by international embassies in Ghana, suggesting that such platforms could unveil a myriad of potentials.
“So, our graduate needs a new orientation, and this new orientation still needs to expose various potentials and opportunities that are available, not only in Ghana, but other African countries. You see, every embassy, like the Ghanaian embassy in any other African country should be able to have a marketing and research department. These marketing and research departments will go into research to find out exactly where the country needs more manpower. Is it artisans? Is it accounts? Is it human resources? Is it marketers? And so, we really need to get these statistics and data, then we relate these to our economy. And so, those who have this technical know-how will be able to access these opportunities through the same medium as our embassies.”
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Story by: Esther Esenam Ofori and Mabel Antwi | univers.ug.edu.gh
