I fear there could be uprising if unemployment rate is unchecked – Mpiani

A former Chief of Staff under the John Kufuor administration, Kwadwo Mpiani, has expressed fears about the rising levels of unemployment in the country and the danger it poses to stability.

Speaking on Face to Face on Citi TV, Mr. Mpiani said “I am not really bothered about a likely coup d’etat. I worry about a possible uprising that could arise out of unemployment in the country. You see somebody who has finished the university with no job has nothing to lose and can get up one day and decide to cause chaos.”

“I fear there may be a similar occurrence as was witnessed in Tunisia sometime back, if we do not tackle the high rate of unemployment.”

Recent happenings including the mad rush for recruitment into the country’s security agencies and the massing up of teeming youth at the Accra International Conference Centre to seek jobs at a Youth Employment Agency job fair have sparked conversations about the levels of unemployment and the desperation of many to find jobs.

Various stakeholders have expressed concern about the danger this situation poses to the country.

Former President John Dramani Mahama for instance, has described the unemployment situation in the country as a threat to national security.

The Deputy Ranking Member on the Constitutional, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament, Francis-Xavier Sosu also believes it is the greatest threat to Ghana’s democracy.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), Justin Koduah Frimpong, has admitted that the government has more to do in dealing with the rising levels of unemployment among the country’s youth.

Mr. Frimpong has pledged to liaise with other stakeholders to put the agency on its toes as a means of dealing with Ghana’s unemployment situation going forward.