The President of the Ghana Youth Federation, Sherif Ghali, has revealed that nearly 2 million young Ghanaians aged 15 to 35 are neither in education, employment nor training, highlighting the growing youth employment crisis in the country.
Speaking at the National Youth Forum on Wednesday, August 19, Mr Ghali said youth unemployment remains significantly higher than the national average.
He said youth unemployment currently stands at 21.9%, compared with the national average of 12.8%. In the Greater Accra Region, the figure is even higher at 31.9%.
Mr Ghali urged policymakers not to view the figures as mere statistics but as a reflection of the real struggles young people face in finding jobs and building sustainable livelihoods.
“Nearly 2 million young Ghanaians between age 15 and 35 are neither in education, nor employment, nor training. That is not a statistic. That is a young man in Wa who has sent out 40 applications and has not gotten any reply, not even a rejection,” he bemoaned.
He also highlighted the difficulties faced by young people who complete apprenticeship programmes but lack the financial support needed to start their own businesses.
“That is a young woman in Kasoa who has finished apprenticeship, but for the past two years cannot raise 1,500 cedis to buy a sewing machine,” he said.
Mr Ghali also pointed to the recent rush by young people during a KFC promotion as an example of the economic pressures facing the youth.
“A few days ago, KFC ran a promotion. The promotion said 15 cedis for chicken and fries. You saw the videos. Young people were pushing. Young people were fighting security to get inside,” he said.
He argued that the incident should not be viewed simply as reckless behaviour but should instead spark a deeper discussion about the economic hardships facing young people.
Mr Ghali therefore called for stronger government interventions to tackle youth unemployment and create sustainable job and business opportunities for Ghana’s young population.
