To be known as the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO), the programme will initially operate seven modules designed to meet the pressing needs of the nation, while providing jobs for the teeming youth who have received tertiary education but are struggling to find jobs.

Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia announced this at the 22nd Congregation of the University of Education, Winneba last Saturday, at which 16,153 students received certificates, diplomas, first degrees and postgraduate degrees.

“Last year, Ghana's economy grew from 3.7 per cent to 8.5 per cent; that was the fastest growing economy in the world last year. But that growth has to translate into jobs,” he said.

“We are embarking on a new programme that the President is going to launch on May Day and it is targeted at unemployed graduates. It is called the Nation Builders Corps and it is to supplement all the programmes run by the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and the others. The Nation Builders Corps is going to be hiring graduates,” he emphasised.

Graduates

About 100,000 graduates who have completed their national service are expected to be engaged under NABCO this year.

The modules are Feed Ghana, Educate Ghana, Revenue Ghana, Heal Ghana, Enterprise Ghana, Digitise Ghana and Governance Ghana.

More modules

A release from the Office of the Vice-President on the congregation posted to the Daily Graphic on Sunday said Vice-President Bawumia revealed that under the Feed Ghana module, the graduates would be engaged as agricultural extension officers to help farmers, while under the Educate Ghana module, the beneficiaries would be posted to senior high schools (SHSs) to teach especially Science and Mathematics.

In the case of the Revenue Ghana module, the graduates would work with the Ghana Revenue Authority to help in the collection of revenue, he said, while under the Heal Ghana module, nurses who had been at home for years without jobs would be engaged to work in the health sector.

In respect of the Enterprise Ghana module, graduates would be assigned to various private sector enterprises for jobs and skills training, as well as development, while in the Digitise Ghana module, graduates would be posted to the IT sector for the Digital Ghana agenda; the transformation agenda, where they would be attached to the National Identification Authority (NIA), the Ghana Post, the Births and Deaths Registry or the Land Title Registry to work, he said.

In the case of the Governance Ghana module, the graduates would be attached to various local authorities.

“We are beginning this year, by the grace of God, and we will be recruiting 100,000 graduates,” Dr Bawumia said.

He explained that it was a broad-based programme that would spread across all constituencies.

The Vice-President explained further that the minimum number of graduates to be hired per constituency would be 300, adding that the number would go up to 450, depending on the size of a constituency or district.