The Coalition of NABCO Beneficiaries has expressed its determination to retaliate against the hardships endured under the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) by overwhelmingly voting against the party in the forthcoming 2024 general elections.
Comprising around 65,000 beneficiaries, the coalition has declared its preparedness to cast dissenting votes against the NPP in the upcoming election cycle.
Responding to the launch of the YouStart program, designed to aid former beneficiaries of the now-defunct Nation Builders’ Corp (NABCO), the Secretary of the coalition, Mr. Frank Evans Quansah, voiced dissatisfaction in an interview on Accra 100.5 FM’s mid-day news on Monday, December 4, 2023.
Mr. Quansah underscored that the government’s failure to disburse eleven months’ allowances has caused significant distress to coalition members. Despite the Finance Minister’s pledge in the 2022 budget to settle the 11 months’ arrears, the commitment remains unfulfilled.
Moreover, Mr. Quansah criticized the YouStart program as a scam, revealing that not a single member of the coalition has enrolled in the initiative. He accused the program of being exploited by party sympathizers as a means to misappropriate state funds.
The government initiated the YouStart Ghana Jobs and Skills Application portal on November 14, 2022, to receive applications for a GH₵1 billion entrepreneurship fund.
YouStart aims to bolster young entrepreneurs by providing access to capital, training, technical skills, and other resources for business development. Targeting individuals aged 18-35 with viable business ideas, the program is funded by proceeds from the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy).
Despite the government’s initiatives to address youth unemployment and promote entrepreneurship through YouStart, the Coalition of NABCO Beneficiaries remains dissatisfied and resolute in its stance against the NPP in the upcoming elections.