Using the national budget to create jobs in primary industries

A right balance between infrastructural development and the state playing the role of the entrepreneur is important. The state is the only entity that can invest in capital and labour intersive projects that we need while also striking a balance between economic and accounting profits, or even continuing to fund ventures that are not making profit but are growing the economy and creating ripple effects in the form of secondary economic activities.

If we want to create banking jobs, teaching jobs, telecom jobs, logistics jobs and so on, we have to harness the ripple effect of primary industries. I will give a living and breathing example which is a low hanging fruit. Jindal Energy is building a P13 billion 300MW power plant through the Mmamabula Coal project, which will create 3,000 jobs and talks are on to increase it to 600mw.