NaBCO allowances better than NSS allowances - NDC MP

Amenfi Central MP

Member of Parliament (MP) for the people of Wasa Amenfi Central in the Western Region on the ticket of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Peter Yaw Kwakye-Ackah has opined that the newly introduced Nation Builder's Corps (NaBCO) monthly payment is far better than the allowances the personnel of National Service Secretariat take home monthly.

Government introduced the NABCO initiative as part of its commitment towards addressing the high youth unemployment in the country. 100,000 recruits of NABCO successfully passed out on Wednesday, October 17, 2018 in Accra.

President Akufo-Addo on Wednesday, 17 October 2018, commissioned the 100,000 beneficiaries who will be placed under seven modules including Feed Ghana, Educate Ghana, Revenue Ghana, Heal Ghana, Enterprise Ghana, Digitise Ghana and Governance Ghana.

It was launched in May 2018 and the programme, which will be managed by the office of the President, will focus on alleviating shortfalls in public service delivery.

After the commissioning of the program by the President, some elements within the opposition National Democratic Congress have speaking against the program.

Notably is the Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament's Employment Committee, Mr. Richard Quashiga has downplayed the importance of the program and described it as mediocre.

He said government had only rolled out a repeated initiative.

“I think clearly this programme is nothing to celebrate… Those celebrating it are celebrating nothing but mediocrity. First of all, it is nothing innovative. It was something that was carved out of the existing YEA programme…I do not think it will wash.There is nothing glamorous about this, yet the President made a lot of fanfare about it”.

But speaking on Adom TV's morning show dubbed 'Badwam' on Wednesday, October 18, 2018 and monitored by Daniel Kaku, the NDC's Lawmaker commended President Akufo-Addo for the program.

He said the program is very good and need to be embraced by all Ghanaians.

He added that the program will reduce the unemployment rate of this country.

Mr. Ackah stated that the monthly payment that would be given to each beneficiary of the NaBCO is far better than the monthly allowance receive a personnel of the National Service Secretariat (NSS).

"Omanhen, let me say that this government has done well for this program because it will reduce the unemployment rate of our country and in fact their allowances are far better than that of the National Service Scheme", he emphasized.

He added "these beneficiaries will not depend on their parents for survival, their family members will be of them".

However, he said the NaBCO is a photocopy of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) where beneficiaries are only place under contract of exit plan.

He told the government to create avenues for these graduates to get permanent jobs.

He also said the NPP government should build its One District One Factory campaign promise and absorb these graduates so that they could get permanent jobs to look after their families.

"I support this program because their allowances are better but my problem is that this program is not permanent and it is like the YEA and at the end of their contracts, these young people will be going home as unemployed again, it is my headache and I suggest the government can invest in our youth to be entrepreneurs and if we are able to give entrepreneur skills to our youth, Omanhen in the next five years, Ghana as a country will have 20 Bill Gates and this country will develop rapidly", he said.

He used the opportunity and appealed to Ghanaians to rally behind former President John Mahama to win the 2020 general elections and come and develop this country with new ideas.

He said the second coming of Mr. Mahama was going to help this country to develop rapidly.

"Mr John Mahama is coming again with new visions and he is coming to invest in our youth to be entrepreneur skills since the NPP government has failed to do so", he emphasized.

Source: Daniel Kaku