The Member of Parliament for Nhyiaeso Constituency, Dr. Stephen Amoah, has called on the Ghana Education Service (GES) to urgently introduce entrepreneurship as a compulsory subject at the Junior High School (JHS) level and as an elective at the Senior High School (SHS) level.
“I am accordingly proposing that the relevant stakeholder bodies particularly education ministry take the needed steps to expedite action on the inclusion of entrepreneurship in our JHS and SHS academic curricula,” he stated
Addressing Parliament on Wednesday, Hon. Amoah advocated for reforms in the education system aimed at tackling the growing youth unemployment crisis.
“Mr. Speaker, there are number of proposed solutions including redefining our corporate focus as a country, governments being international about entrepreneurship in its major policy decisions, realigning and harmonizing the key stakeholders in the ecosystem,” he advised.
According to him, integrating entrepreneurship education early in the academic journey of students would foster an entrepreneurial mindset and empower the youth to create their own employment opportunities.
“Entrepreneurship is the ability to set up a new business venture and develop one’s own business with the intention of making profit instead of relying on ones already created by another individual or corporate body,” the MP said.
He stressed the urgent need for the country to prioritize entrepreneurship education, citing worrying statistics on graduate unemployment.
Referencing data from the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), the former deputy finance minister noted that only 10% of Ghanaian graduates secure employment within the first year after graduation, while others spend up to five years job hunting.
“Mr. Speaker, every year, over 109,000 graduates leave the university system, yet only about 10,000 secure jobs. This leaves nearly 100,000 unemployed annually. The job market is congested, and many of our youth are forced into antisocial behaviour out of frustration,” he stressed
Sticka, the as former deputy trade minister further argued that entrepreneurship is central to global economic development, highlighting its role in innovation and job creation throughout history from gas lighting to modern computer technologies.
“Mr. Speaker, apart from creating jobs, boosting Ghana’s economy and diminishing government’s burden, entrepreneurship, if well integrated will go a long way to answer most of our economic questions as a sovereignty. Additionally, it will play an illustrative role in Ghana’s import driven agenda and realization,” he indicated.
Hon. Amoah also revealed that, Ghana, endowed with rich natural resources, must harness entrepreneurship to develop a strong private sector that will serve as the engine of growth.
The Nhyiaeso MP, however, lamented the country’s weak entrepreneurial ecosystem, citing structural and functional inefficiencies among stakeholders. He urged a realignment of national policy focus to include entrepreneurship at the heart of educational planning and economic development.
“Mr. Speaker, apart from creating jobs, boosting Ghana’s economy, and reducing the burden on government, entrepreneurship, if well integrated, will address many of our economic challenges. It will also reduce our reliance on imports and support our industrialization agenda,” he added.
