The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has called on President John Dramani Mahama to take immediate and decisive action to address Ghana’s growing unemployment crisis, warning that the situation poses a real threat to national stability.
Speaking at the 59th Congregation of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) on Saturday, November 29, the Asantehene stressed that tackling joblessness must become a top national priority.
“We are all aware of the unemployment situation in this nation. It was on that basis that I raised the issue when the German President and Ambassador paid a courtesy call on me last month,” Otumfuo stated.
The King reiterated his appeal to the German government to invest in Ghana’s Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs), which he described as critical engines of job creation and economic growth.
“I wish to reiterate my appeal to the German Government to support small and medium-scale industries. Unemployment is a major issue in the country. It is a national concern, and the President should take a keen interest in this critical issue,” he emphasised.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II also used the platform to highlight the worsening staffing deficit at KNUST, urging government to provide financial clearance for the recruitment of additional academic and administrative personnel.
According to the Asantehene, the recent five-year cyclical review by the Ghana Education Commission revealed an “unfavourable student-to-lecturer ratio” that is stretching the university’s staff to their limits and threatening the quality of teaching and learning.
“Confronting this university is the issue of inadequate staffing… The situation places a heavy strain on our educated, dedicated lecturers and threatens the quality of teaching and learning we provide,” he noted.
“I therefore appeal to the government to grant the necessary financial clearance for the recruitment of additional academic and administrative staff,” he added.