The Ministry of Health has denied claims by Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia that about ten thousand nurses and other unemployed youth will be recruited next month, May 2018 under the yet to be launched Nation Builders Corps (NABCO).

According to the Public relations manager for the Health Ministry, Robert Cudjoe, contrary to the announcement by the Vice President, the recruitment under the program will not start in May.

Dr. Bawuwia who was speaking at the 22nd Congregation of the University of Education, Winneba, said 100,000 graduates who have completed their National Service are expected to be engaged under NABCO this year.

While challenging the new graduates to “go out there and make a difference”, Dr Bawumia said government is seriously engaged in thinking through solutions to the unemployment situation, especially graduate unemployment.

“Last year Ghana’s economy grew from 3.7% to 8.5%; that was the fastest growing economy in the world last year. But this growth has to translate into jobs.

“We are embarking on a new programme that the President is going to launch on May Day, and it is targeted at graduate unemployment. It is called the Nation Builders Corps and it is to supplement all the other programmes run by the Youth Employment Agency and the others. The Nation Builders Corps is going to be hiring graduates,” the vice president opined.

Contradicting the claims, Mr. Robert Cudjoe said the launch of the policy is set for May 1st and not the implentation of the policy.

He said; “It’s the launch, not that they are going to start working on first May. It is going to be launched and all details will be unfolded as we move along that is why we don’t have to pre-empt. When there is a policy, the policy could be announced and the details cannot be put out before the implementation. It makes it look like the government does not think through before coming out with a policy. So when a policy is announced like the ‘Ghana beyond aid’; it’s a policy, it’s a vision, the details cannot be put out before implementation. So when a policy is put forward, it is then that the experts will sit down and look at the details and the process of how it should be implemented,”.