Kennedy Agyapong, Assin Central MP
The Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, has challenged the youth to take their destinies into their own hands, as the government cannot provide employment to the growing number of unemployed youth in the country.
He said the youth constitute a greater percentage of the country’s human resources and holds the key to the future, adding “they should not rely solely on government to turn their fortunes around.”
“Ghana has a population of over 32million and in sharing one cake, what size can you get,” he quizzed.
“I am not quite sure where the concept came from of a national cake that exists to be shared among all of us and all we need to worry about is the equitable distribution. Since we do not seem to worry very much about how this cake, so called, is put together, it is not surprising that there is never enough to go around,” he stated
The NPP Presidential hopeful made the call during the 6th Edition of the Guidance Conference in Cape Coast. The programme was organised by the Guidance Foundation International, headed by Ohene Kofi Sarfo.
Experience sharing
The conference also saw two speakers share their experiences in Ghana and how they have defied all odds to fuel the inspiration of others.
A speaker narrated how he sold his car to buy 11 machines to start his sawing business, and hoped to employ, in the next five years, 1000 people in his work. To realise this dream, Mr Agyapong promised to give him 100 sawing machines to inject into his business.
Using his personal experiences as an entrepreneur to make his points, Mr Agyapong said he found himself in the entrepreneurship world not just because of the money but learning experiences that helped to build “perseverance, honesty and hard work” around his field of work.
“For example, if you have finished University for about 4 to 5 years and you are not getting employment, venture into entrepreneurship. Don’t sit down and wait for manna to come from heaven. Be creative and innovative, you can start by selling even bread. For good 18 months, I swept and cleaned shops in Germany to make ends meet. The hard life in Germany during 1984, made things easier for me when I moved on to the US in search of greener pastures,” he recounted.
He further observed that “If young people have the mind to conceive or birth business ideas, the possibility that they can take their future into their own hands is real and they can create opportunities for other people”.
Savings key
The Assin Central legislator further observed that regular savings have been identified as a key strategy to make people financially independent.
“Most Ghanaians lacked the discipline to save and that had brought financial burdens to them and their families. We must encourage people to inculcate the habit of saving because it holds the key to securing their future. Our future security is built on our tendency to adopt regular savings. No matter how your income is, restrain yourself and save money,” he stressed.
