Member of Parliament for Akwatia, Bernard Bediako Baidoo, has defended the government’s performance on job creation, arguing that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) inherited an economy that was incapable of generating employment opportunities.

Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, Mr Baidoo said it was unfair to blame the current administration for challenges that had accumulated over several years.

“The economy inherited by the NDC was in such a poor state that it could not have created jobs for any Ghanaian. How can you attribute eight years of failure to just one and a half years of an NDC government?” he questioned.

According to him, unemployment was already on the rise before the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration left office.

“Look at the trajectory before Akufo-Addo left office. Unemployment was high; that was the trend,” he stated.

Mr Baidoo argued that the current government was confronted with significant economic challenges upon assuming office, making immediate large-scale employment creation difficult.

“The economy we met couldn’t have created the employment we expected it to create. We had a challenge,” he said.

The Akwatia MP stressed that economic recovery requires a focus on stability before increasing expenditure.

“No one who wants to manage the economy well will start with expenditure. You have to focus on stability in the business sector to create the enabling environment,” he explained.

He noted that the government inherited a backlog of financial obligations that needed to be addressed as part of efforts to restore economic growth.

“We came to meet a backlog. There is a major problem and we should stop the politicking,” he added.

Mr Baidoo identified the Judicial Service and the Local Government Service as sectors with the potential to absorb large numbers of workers because of their presence in every district.

However, he said expanding employment in those sectors depends on the economy’s ability to sustain the associated wage bill.

“The Judicial Service and Local Government are where government can employ many because they are in every district, but to make it possible to run two shifts, the economy has to be capable of paying them,” he said.

The MP maintained that many of the current challenges stem from the state of the economy that the NDC government inherited.

“All that falls back on the economy we inherited,” he stressed.

Despite the difficulties, Mr Baidoo expressed confidence in President John Mahama’s leadership and called on Ghanaians to support the government’s efforts.

“What I have hope in is that President Mahama is a man who wants to leave a legacy, so I pray we all support him,” he added.

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