The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI), Mark Badu Aboagye, has announced that the Chamber is setting up Junior Chambers in universities to equip students with entrepreneurial skills and help transition them from job seekers into job creators.
Speaking at the quarterly Economic Outlook on Channel One TV on Monday, April 27, on the theme “Taking Stock – Ghana’s Economic Turnaround: What Changed & What Comes Next?,” he said the initiative is aimed at addressing rising youth unemployment through skills development and mentorship.
“So what we are doing as a chamber is to train these students to become job creators and not job seekers,” he said.
He explained that Junior Chambers has already been established in some universities, with plans to expand further across the country.
“So we are setting up junior chambers in all the universities. We’ve done UMaT, we’ve done Tech, we’ve done UG. We will do UniMAC,” he said.
According to him, the initiative is designed to provide students with guidance and mentorship to help them turn their ideas into viable businesses.
“The idea is that if you talk to the students, they have solutions to the problems we are facing, but who will mentor them, who will hold their hands?” he said.
Mr Badu Aboagye said the intervention has become necessary due to the scale of unemployment among young people, stressing that the government alone cannot absorb the growing number of graduates.
“I have been very much concerned about the rate of unemployment, and I think that we should tackle this from all angles,” he said.
He noted that government employment accounts for only a small portion of job opportunities, making private sector growth essential.
“Government alone cannot do it because government employment is just about 6%. It is only when we stimulate the private sector that they can expand and employ our people,” he said.
He expressed concern about the number of unemployed youth, stating that about 1.4 million young people are currently searching for jobs.
“Every year, we churn out more than 200,000 graduates. So they are here thinking that after school they will get a job,” he said, adding that many graduates, including those who completed school years ago, are still unemployed.
Mr Badu Aboagye encouraged students to rethink their approach to employment and consider entrepreneurship as an alternative.
“So now be thinking about how you can create your own jobs. Don’t wait because the government cannot employ you, and the businesses are not expanding. I am not scaring you, I am telling you the fact,” he said.
