Dr. Mahama Tiah Abdul-Kabiru, Member of Parliament (MP) for Walewale, has raised concerns about the sustainability of the jobs projected under the government’s 2026 Budget.
In an interview with Bernard Avle on Channel One TV’s The Point of View, Dr. Abdul-Kabiru questioned whether the budget’s job-creation figures would translate into long-term employment security. “The budget has given me indications that they’re going to create jobs, but the jobs they are going to create are 800,000 jobs, about 490,000 are coming from construction workers, which does not give me a sense of sustainable and decent jobs that Ghanaians are looking for,” he argued.
Presenting the 2026 Budget Statement and Economic Policy to Parliament on Thursday, November 13, Finance Minister Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson announced the government’s target of generating up to 800,000 jobs across multiple sectors. He explained that flagship infrastructure and industrial programmes would underpin this agenda, noting that the GH¢63 billion in road contracts awarded under the Big Push initiative is expected to create an estimated 490,000 jobs, based on World Bank job-creation benchmarks for road sector investments.
However, Dr. Abdul-Kabiru insists that the budget’s heavy emphasis on construction-related employment may fall short of delivering the lasting, decent jobs Ghanaians are hoping for.
