The Ranking Member of Parliament’s Finance Committee, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, has said the government’s New Economy programme will not provide the immediate employment opportunities needed to address Ghana’s youth unemployment crisis.
According to Amin Adam, the timelines attached to several flagship projects showed that their expected benefits would largely materialise from 2028 onwards.
He highlighted the planned 1,450-megawatt thermal power plant, where a first 600 megawatts was expected by December 2028, with the remaining capacity scheduled for completion by December 2030.
Also, the Pwalugu Multipurpose Dam is also expected to begin its first phase in early 2029, with completion targeted for December 2030.
Dr Amin Adam added that the planned oil palm programme, which is expected to create 250,000 jobs, was linked to a 2032 self-sufficiency target, while land acquisition was still underway.
According to him, the garment factories expected to employ 27,000 people remained at the feasibility stage, and the government intended to end commercial rice imports only by 2030.
Dr Amin Adam stressed that the timelines did not address the immediate demand for employment, particularly among young people entering the labour market.
Speaking at Parliament on Friday, November 13, after the 2027 budget presentation by Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, Amin Adam stated, “The Budget therefore does not address the immediate demand for jobs”.
“Two years on, it is offering the same young people a new slogan and a 2030 date,” he said.
Also, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, Minority Leader, has challenged the Mahama administration to prioritise job creation, maintaining that Ghanaians are more concerned about employment opportunities rather than the government’s proposed New Economy programme.
Speaking to journalists after Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson presented the 2027 Budget Statement and Economic Policy to Parliament on Thursday, November 12, Afenyo-Markin questioned the government’s record on employment and demanded clear figures on the number of jobs created since it assumed office.
The Minority leader argued that presenting economic data and announcing new policy initiatives would mean little to citizens if they did not translate into jobs, better incomes and improved living conditions.
“They haven’t been able to tell us how many jobs they have created. Ghanaians want jobs, jobs, jobs. We are not interested in data. We are not interested in a paper economy. We are not interested in what they call a New Economy,” he stated.
The Minority Leader also accused the government of relying on slogans instead of addressing unemployment and the high cost of living.
“Let Ghanaians know that this NDC government is a sloganeering government. What they came to do was to subject us to another round of slogans and no jobs,” he said.
He added: “You cannot rebrand unemployment. They cannot slogan away the cost of living.”
Afenyo-Markin further questioned the government’s ability to meet its financial obligations, particularly payments owed to public sector workers and funding for additional recruitment.
He, however, welcomed the Finance Minister’s announcement that government was ready to pay bondholders under the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP); he asked why similar financial commitments remained a concern for other groups.
“They claim that they have money to pay domestic debt exchange programme bondholders, those whose savings were postponed and whose payments were deferred. They say they have money to pay. That is good news. We welcome that,” he said.
“But the question is: where is the money to pay JUSAG, the money to pay teachers, the money to pay nurses, and the money to recruit?”
The Minority Leader further raised concerns about the government’s campaign promises, including the proposed bank intended to provide financial support to women and traders.
He also questioned the progress of the 24-hour economy initiative, arguing that the administration had not provided sufficient evidence of its implementation.
Emotions run high as Thomas Partey’s mother breaks down in tears while the casket of her late husband is carried away during the burial service. #GHnow https://t.co/FoORCRcq0Q
— GHnow (@ghnow_) November 13, 2026
