President John Dramani Mahama has reiterated his government’s commitment to building a strong economy that can provide decent jobs for the country’s youth.
According to him, accelerated economic growth through the expansion of the manufacturing sector and agriculture hold the key to empowering the youth in Africa in order to prevent them from embarking on deadly expeditions to Europe to seek greener pastures.
President Mahama made these comments during an address to a select Committee of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh as part of his four-day working visit to that country. He described Africa as a fast growing continent that needed to quicken the pace of economic growth to cater for the youth.
“Africa is an emerging and fast-growing continent. We are therefore a continent in a hurry, a ticking youth bulge requires that we speed up the process of economic growth in order that we can provide a number of decent jobs for the large number of people graduating from our schools every year.”
President Mahama explained that guaranteeing jobs on the continent will stem the canker of the torturous migration efforts by young Africans into Europe. “Accelerated economic growth, expansion of manufacturing and agriculture will guarantee jobs and stop the risky flow of young Africans across the Mediterranean in search of new opportunities in Europe.”
Transparent November polls President Mahama further assured the international community that Ghana will once again shine as a beacon of democracy in Africa by conducting free, transparent and credible elections in November this year. “Ghana has had six successful, successive election since 1992; and this year’s election will be no exception in terms of transparency, fairness and security.”
The President concluded by suggesting that African countries were also emerging as exemplary democracies because of the number of successful elections held last year in countries like Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Benin. “The many elections held in several African countries last year sends a clear message that Africa is emerging and building a solid foundation of participatory democracy that will form the basis for guaranteeing the dignity and prosperity of our people.”
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