Businessman and founder of the Union Government, Akwasi Odai Odike, has urged the government to take deliberate steps to empower the private sector to take the lead in creating jobs and driving economic growth.
The presidential candidate said he believes the government must move beyond merely expressing its commitment to private sector development and take practical measures to create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.
Speaking during a panel discussion on Angel FM’s ‘Anopa Bofo’ on Monday, November 9, Mr Odike argued that major job creation initiatives should be entrusted to established Ghanaian businessmen rather than being directly managed by the government.
He proposed that government should establish factories and provide the necessary structures, while leaving their management and operational costs to private sector players.
According to him, the approach, which he described as the ‘Thank You Project’, would give established businesses the opportunity to expand their operations and create more employment opportunities for Ghanaians.
“Job creation should be given to the big businessmen in Ghana. This is the ‘Thank You Project’. The government should just set up the factory how it wants it, and leave the management and cost to the private sectors,” he stated.
Mr Odike further criticised what he described as the lack of commitment by political leaders towards private sector development, insisting that government must back its pronouncements with concrete action.
“Our leaders are just lazing around. They just say private sector with their mouths and leave it. There must be an action,” he said.
He said expediting efforts to involve private businesses in economic activities would help revive the entrepreneurial spirit and strengthen the private sector’s role in national development.
Source: Abigail Ekua Arhin
