Nearly 2m youth without jobs, education or training – Sherif Ghali

The President of the Ghana Youth Federation, Sherif Ghali, has revealed that nearly 2 million young Ghanaians between the ages of 15 and 35 are neither in education, employment nor training, highlighting the scale of the 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.

According to him, youth unemployment currently stands at 21.9%, compared with the national average of 12.8%, while the rate in the Greater Accra Region is 31.9%. Mr Ghali said the statistics should not be treated merely as figures, but should be understood as representing young people facing real challenges in securing 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 cited the situation of young people who have completed apprenticeship programmes but lack the resources to establish 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 further linked the recent rush by young people during a KFC promotion to the economic difficulties 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 simply be interpreted as reckless behaviour but rather prompt a broader conversation about the economic circumstances of young people.

He subsequently called for stronger government interventions to address youth unemployment and create sustainable opportunities for young people.

CitiNewsRoom