The Ashanti Regional Health Director, Dr Fred Adomako-Boateng, has challenged newly graduated students of Garden City University to stop waiting for vacancies in an already constrained job market and instead focus on creating opportunities for themselves and others.

Speaking to Joy News on the sidelines of the University’s 25th anniversary graduation ceremony, Dr. Adomako-Boateng said the unemployment situation in Ghana requires a fundamental shift in mindset among graduates.

“Graduates must stop looking for spaces to fill,” he said. “They must start creating those spaces. That is how you become needed, and that is how you rise.”

He emphasised that the years many graduates spend at home, frustrated while waiting for public sector recruitment, should instead be used as periods for learning new skills and preparing to be highly competitive in any field they choose to enter.

Dr Adomako-Boateng also stressed that entrepreneurship, not relying solely on monthly salaries, is the path to wealth and influence. “If your goal is to be wealthy or extremely rich, you will never get there by depending on a paycheck,” he stated. “Look at the world’s richest and most influential individuals; they are entrepreneurs. They built something. They created solutions. They did not wait for employment.”

The Health Director encouraged graduates to identify everyday problems and convert them into income-generating opportunities that can also contribute to national development. He described entrepreneurship as both a financial pathway and a patriotic duty, noting that every job created reduces the nation’s economic burden.

“Your degree is not the end, it is the beginning. Be creators. Be innovators. The country needs you,” he said, urging graduates to start small, learn continuously, and leverage technology to expand their ideas.

Dr Adomako-Boateng also congratulated the Class of 2025 and commended Garden City University for its 25 years of academic contribution. However, he stressed that the real measure of success would be seen in how many graduates go on to build businesses, provide services, and employ their peers.

The ceremony, held on the university campus, marked a milestone in Garden City University’s history and highlighted the institution’s commitment to producing graduates equipped to meet the challenges of Ghana’s evolving job market.