The Chief Executive Officer of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), Malik Basintale, has committed to protecting young workers in Ghana by refusing to approve any job contracts that offer wages below the national minimum wage.
In an interview on TV3 on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, Mr. Basintale stated, “I will never sign any agreement that falls below the minimum wage. I cannot pay the Ghanaian youth less than that.” He condemned substandard wages as both unfair and unacceptable, asserting, “You can’t give someone a job and pay them so little that it doesn’t even last a few days. That’s not right.”
Mr. Basintale expressed solidarity with young people who refuse poorly paid jobs, affirming, “If the salary is 200 cedis and they say they won’t work, I understand them. I stand with them.” He criticized what he termed “papa jobs”—low-paying positions that fail to provide a decent standard of living. “I have always said I’m against ‘papa jobs,’ and I will repeat it as many times as needed,” he emphasized.
He stressed that any employment agreement he signs must guarantee fair compensation for workers. “We’re not asking for huge amounts. Young people just want enough to live on—enough to afford three meals a day,” he noted.
Additionally, Mr. Basintale highlighted business-friendly policies from former President John Mahama’s administration, crediting them with improving conditions for employers. He pointed to lower inflation, a stronger cedi, and reduced taxes as factors that enable businesses to offer better wages. “When businesses make a profit, they should be able to pay their workers properly. That is how we build a better country,” he concluded.
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