Thomas Worlanyo Tsekpo, Member of Parliament for the Hohoe Constituency, has accused the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of dismantling the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) after allegedly inheriting the concept from the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
According to Ghana Web, During a debate on former President John Dramani Mahama’s State of the Nation Address on March 7, 2025, Tsekpo questioned the NPP’s approach to job creation, suggesting the party lacked original ideas and commitment to youth employment.
He argued that the foundation for NABCO was laid by an NDC initiative under the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) before the 2016 elections.
According to him, the Paid Internship program under the YEA was designed to support National Service personnel, but was abruptly halted when the NPP assumed office in 2017.
“Over 10,000 youth who were prepared for the program were laid off,” Tsekpo alleged, claiming that a directive from the Office of the Vice President led to their dismissal.
He pointed out that the current NPP General Secretary, who was the CEO of YEA at the time, oversaw the termination of these appointments.
NABCO, which was introduced in 2018 by President Nana Akufo-Addo, aimed to address youth unemployment by engaging 100,000 young Ghanaians across various sectors.
Despite their ambitious goals, the program was marred by payment delays and questions over sustainability.
These challenges ultimately led to its discontinuation in 2022, leaving many participants unpaid for several months.
Tsekpo argued that the failure of NABCO stemmed from the NPP’s lack of ownership and proper execution of the initiative, which he insists was originally conceptualized by the NDC.