Key points:
- Ghana’s Mahama administration launches bold youth job initiatives to tackle high unemployment and economic instability.
- New Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment aims to focus on employment instead of sports.
- Key programmes include entrepreneurship funding, tech training, and formalising informal jobs.
- Experts warn that policy success will depend on execution, transparency, and adequate funding.
- West Africa’s security is linked to job creation, as economic desperation fuels youth radicalisation in the Sahel.
THE newly elected Mahama administration has placed youth employment at the centre of its governance agenda, aiming to address Ghana’s rising unemployment crisis while mitigating the broader threat of economic-driven extremism across West Africa.
With the launch of Ghana’s Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment, the government is separating youth affairs from sports to focus on skill development, entrepreneurship, and job creation—a move that officials say is long overdue.
‘This is a national security risk, and we must tackle it aggressively,’ said George Opare Addo, Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment, told The Africa Report in Accra.
Youth unemployment in Ghana: a growing crisis
Ghana’s youth unemployment rate has surged to 38.8 percent, with nearly 68 percent of employed youth engaged in vulnerable, low-paying jobs that lack stability and long-term security.
Recognising the urgency, the Mahama government has launched a national apprenticeship programme aimed at equipping young people with marketable skills for the evolving job market.
‘The AU’s technological strategic report projects that between 2025 and 2030, Africa will require over 20 million jobs in the digital space,’ Opare Addo noted. ‘If we don’t prepare our youth now, we will be left behind.’
Key government initiatives for youth employment
- The Adwumawura Project – start-up capital for young entrepreneurs
This initiative, in partnership with institutions such as the Mastercard Foundation, will provide funding to young entrepreneurs and help them build sustainable businesses.
- One million coders in four years
The government has committed to training one million young people in coding and software development, creating a skilled workforce for Ghana’s emerging tech sector and positioning the country as a hub for business process outsourcing (BPO).
- Formalising informal jobs
With over 200,000 domestic workers in Greater Accra alone, many of whom do not see themselves as formally employed, the ministry plans to recognise and regulate these jobs, offering training, certification, and employment rights.
- Investing in agriculture
The government is launching programmes to attract young people into modern agriculture, ensuring sustainable food production and rural job creation.
‘We must be intentional about changing the mindset of young people,’ Opare Addo stated. ‘Let’s believe in what we can do together.’
Challenges in policy implementation
Despite these bold initiatives, experts raise concerns over the execution of Mahama’s youth employment strategy.
Professor Justice Bawole, Dean of the University of Ghana Graduate Business Sc
hool, warned that while the NDC’s manifesto is commendable, it lacks clear funding strategies, measurable outcomes, and active youth engagement in decision-making.
‘For example, while the Adwumawura Programme and the Youth Innovation and Industrial Parks are promising, there are questions about thei
r feasibility and the transparency of fund allocation,’ Bawole said.
Transparency and efficient fund management will be critical for the success of these initiatives.
Regional implications: Ghana’s role in West Africa’s stability
Ghana’s youth unemployment crisis is not isolated—across West Africa, economic struggles have pushed many young people toward extremist groups, particularly in the Sahel region, including Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
At the Africa Prosperity
Dialogues 2025, Mahama acknowledged the broader risks:
‘Our youth are tired and frustrated at the lack of opportunities to realize their dreams and aspirations. Unfortunately, progress has been sluggish and intangible.’
Learning from Nigeria’s N-Power programme and Côte d’Ivoire’s Youth Employment Agency, Ghana aims to create long-term solutions tailored to its local economic conditions.
With bold policies and high expectations, will Mahama’s government deliver lasting change for Ghana’s youth?
