Although the country’s 2026 Budget has stirred some level of optimism across the country about massive job creation next year, an economist says Ghanaians should not be carried away by the sheer number of jobs expected to be created.
The budget presented by the Minister for Finance last week announced the plans of the government to create about 800,000 jobs next year. A breakdown of this projection by The High Street Journal earlier revealed that the jobs are scattered across various sectors, with the Big Push agenda taking about 50% of the entire number.
This is seen by many as a bold step toward reducing unemployment, but an economist and lecturer at the Academic City University, Dr. Paul Appiah-Konadu, is asking a critical question: Are these jobs sustainable?
Reacting to the budget in an interaction with The High Street Journal, Dr. Paul Appiah Konadu, praised the ambition behind the plan but was worried that Ghana might be repeating the old cycle of creating short-term work that vanishes as quickly as it arrives.
In his justification, he pointed to the government’s massive construction-focused jobs, with over GH¢30 billion budgeted for roads, schools, hospitals, and other infrastructure. According to him, this injection will undoubtedly create thousands of opportunities for artisans, labourers, engineers, and suppliers. But these jobs, he noted, have an expiry date.
The economist maintained that yes, the construction boom will employ a lot of people. However, the question is: what happens to these workers when the roads are finally built and the schools are completed? This is where he sees the problem.
“If you look at the big push, the over 30 billion that has been budgeted, I think that will create a lot of jobs in the construction sector. But the question is, what happens to these people when construction has ended?” he quizzed.
Dr. Konadu fears that the country may end up celebrating the rise in jobs today only to face another surge in unemployment years later. To him, lasting jobs will not come from projects that end. They will come from sectors that keep producing value every single day, especially manufacturing and agriculture.
He argues that Ghana must pay closer attention to processing what it grows, turning raw produce into finished goods and building industries that boost exports and feed domestic demand.
He said, “To create sustainable jobs, I think we should look at the manufacturing sector, for instance, value addition in our agriculture. The Minister mentioned that the budget is expected to create over 800,000 jobs. But the question is, how many of them are sustainable? How many of them will continue to exist in 10 years and after? That is what I think is lacking in the budget.”
He stressed that, “We are creating jobs, a lot of which are in the construction sector, that are not sustainable. That will cease to exist after these projects are completed.
Although the economist acknowledges the government’s efforts and the potential immediate relief the jobs will bring, he is calling for a deeper, more long-term strategy that ties job creation to future competitiveness rather than temporary activity.
For him, the quantity matters, as does the durability.
