Unemployment dis satisfactions of the youth

Tesfaye Lema

The Ethiopian people need peace, development and democracy. Accordingly, they have been fully participating in building and strengthening these three crucial elements that could move the country forward to prosperity. The government has also been working industriously to improve the livelihood of the people through short, medium and long development plans.

Many Ethiopians argue that it is impossible to compare the present general situations of the country with what it looked like some three decades ago. W/ro Assefash, one of the residents in Addis Ababa,   is in her early 70s. She had been serving as Geography teacher in various schools for the past 35 years.

She witnessed the situations of the country in those past regimes in comparison to the current regime.  “In the first place, it was impossible either to have a different political idea or to set any political party. The rights of the people to form any groupings and even to come together in one place  for social purposes like religion was violated”.

She also emphasized that the Ethiopian nations, nationalities and peoples were even deprived of their rights in using their mother tongues for communication rather obliged to use the Amharic language. Their children were also compelled to learn their kindergarten and elementary school educations in a language they didn’t know.  Hence, both democratic and fundamental rights were violated during the previous regimes.

The people were in tension and terror as their sons were compelled to join the military and their daughters were subjected to various abuses by the advocates of that regimes.  Consequently, the youth were filled with despair. They had completely lost hope to think about their prosperity and improved lives.

The country’s economy was deteriorated. Besides, the military government used most of the budget for military logistics while the people were suffering of poverty. As a result, the people were subjected to dire poverty that coerced the people to miserable life.  They were even failed to get their daily bread for their children and themselves.

Millions of Ethiopians witnessed all the aforementioned problems have been changing step by step since the overthrow of the military junta in 1991. Two and half decades later, the country is in a different political, economic and social status. However, there are still problems that need serious attention. One of the major problems is the significant rising of unemployment. The other one is bad governance and the use of public political power for personal interests.

In fact, the past twenty five years witnessed there was fast and sustainable economic development in the country has made the people beneficiary at various levels. As the same time, the demand of the people  for improved life, more schools, health institutions, roads, better jobs,  genuine service, transparent  and accountable administration has rising from time to time. The demand of the people and the so far created opportunities have mismatched because the population has almost doubled from 53 million in 1998 to 100 million in 2016.  

We have to note what EPRDF has arguing that the dissatisfaction of the people particularly the youth is due to the mismatch of the opportunities created so far and the rising number of the young. It is believed that the major achievements that benefited the majority of the people at various levels are remarkable. However, the demands of the growing population have been also increasing challenging the government to satisfy the people. 

The country has given a priority to education and health in the past twenty five years. As a result, about thirty-two universities were constructed and furnished with facilities though there are some gaps in fully equipped them and challenges in ensuring quality.  

Tens of thousands of students graduate every year from those universities and other technical and vocational colleges. But the jobs created in the country for these huge productive forces. The rising number of unemployment in the country has created dissatisfaction among the youth and their parents. 

The Federal Government and Regional States have recognized this crucial problem and planning to create as many jobs as possible to minimize unemployment in the country. According to available sources from Federal Urban Job Creation and Food Security Agency disclosed 1.8 million jobs were created by micro and small enterprises last Ethiopian budget year. The next plan indicates that the government has a plan to create more than 8 million jobs by the end of the second Growth and Transformation Plan.

W/ro Assefash also said, “In the previous regime, we were worrying whether our sons were taken to wars forcibly. We had no time or opportunity to think about having jobs, enjoying better life and the like as there wasn’t any situation does that. The country’s youth were forcibly taken from their schools and forced to join the military force.  Ethiopian mothers were usually in fear. But now our question to the government is to create more jobs as possible so that our sons and daughters could improve their lives and help their parents”. 

In fact, the youth have the rights to demand their rights to the government peacefully and the government has the duty to respond and create as many jobs as possible. However, maintaining the country’s peace, law and order isn’t debatable.

W/ro Assefash added, “We need peace. Maintaining peace and law is the first task of the government. Any question could be presented to the government peacefully. We don’t want havoc and chaos in this country as it doesn’t help anybody. The government should also give attention to unemployment and strengthen its efforts to alleviate poverty.”

Last Week, Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn has held a face-to-face discussion with youth drawn from across the country.  The Premier emphasized that the youth must add values to the fast growing socio-economic situations of the country. According to reports concerning on the 4th National Youth Movement and Participatory Conference, the participants expressed that the government has planned to enhance its projects that could benefit the youth.

The youth discussed with the Prime Minister the national and regional problems that hinder the improvements in the livelihoods of the Ethiopian youth. They agreed on  what the government should do and what roles have the youth to play. Prime Minister Hailemariam has also explained how the youth can exploit local resources.  

The government has created about millions of jobs in the past twenty five years. This is not simple but it is insufficient as the number of the population has rising fast in the past twenty five years.

The Ethiopian government accomplished various activities to enhance tolerance and peaceful coexistence among nations, nationalities and peoples of Ethiopia. It gave recognitions to ethnic and religious diversities; thereby, paved the ground for equal opportunity to all citizens that enabled the ruling party to enjoy some successes.

One of the most important successes of EPRDF is realizing the unity of nations, nationalities and peoples’ of Ethiopia and strengthening the emerging democracy. Ethiopians incredibly managed to strengthen their unison, which is one of the significant achievements.  The youth in all the regions including the developing ones have got chances to various job opportunities as those in developed regions due equal access to education.

There should be balanced viewing of the changes and the problems within those changes. In general speaking, it would be better to see the lights at the end of the tunnel so that it is crucial for the youth to guard and maintain its peace and then straggling against corrupt and rent seekers in collaboration with the government.

There are individuals or groups that have gloomy understanding of the country. However, in the real situation on the ground, everything isn’t gloomy rather Ethiopia has a bright future. In some cases, there is justice. One of the important issues that has to be considered into account is the faire development distribution in all regions. These development efforts have been benefiting a number of youth in each respective region.

For instance, most of the Sugar Corporation development projects are situated in pastoral and rural areas. These projects have created more than 350,000 job opportunities so far. The Corporation has planned to create 200,000 additional job opportunities in the second Growth and Transformation Plan.

The misuse of public and government power in enhancing proper, transparent and accountable services to the society particularly the youth, there was nepotism in appointing employees. Besides, the already created job opportunities mismatched to the growing number of youth.

We have to remember what the noble great Ethiopia Ex-Prime Minister Meles Zenawi once said. “The struggle between the rent collecting and the developmental economies is at its climax. Unless the developmental economy could take the upper hand, the country will fall under rent collectors and obviously the ruling groups will abuse their public responsibility that could reverse the entire progress of the country. However, if the developmental economy could take the upper hand, the prosperity of the country will be ensured benefiting entire population. In this struggle, the people have the greatest role to play, as they have the political power they could ensure whether everything is taking place in their favor”.

The youth have to understand what causes the problems and work in collaboration to the government so as to alleviate major obstacles retarding the beneficiaries of the youth from the socio-economic developments. The efforts that have made in the past twenty five years to alleviate poverty, enhance democracy and ensure sustainable developments have benefited a remarkable number of youth.

If there are further consolidated efforts, for all the youth in the country could be benefited. However, this is only possible if there is peace and stability. The unemployment dissatisfaction of the youth will be solved if only there is peace. The youth all over the country must, therefore, first devote to ensure peace; thereby, will be benefited from the country’s development.

That is why, speaking at the closing event of the 4th Nat'l Youth Conference held at the Millennium Hall in Addis Abab, Prime Minster Hailemariam urged the young generation to discharge their great responsibility in backing the government’s effort to protect the country from the destabilizing elements.