Sherif Ghali, President of the Ghana Youth Federation, has disclosed that almost two million young people in Ghana aged 15 to 35 are not engaged in education, employment, or training, underscoring the seriousness of the country’s youth joblessness challenge.
Addressing the National Youth Forum on Wednesday, 19 August, he noted that unemployment among young people is markedly higher than the overall national rate.
Youth unemployment currently stands at 21.9 per cent, against a national average of 12.8 per cent, while the figure for the Greater Accra Region reaches 31.9 per cent.
Ghali stressed that these numbers should not be viewed as abstract data but as reflections of the genuine difficulties many young Ghanaians encounter in finding work and establishing stable 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 said.
He also pointed to the plight of those who complete skills training yet lack the capital to start their own enterprises.
“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 added.
Ghali connected the recent scramble by young people during a KFC promotional offer 15 cedis for chicken and fries to the wider economic pressures facing the youth. Videos showed crowds pushing and confronting security staff in an effort to enter the outlets.
He argued that the episode should not be dismissed merely as disorderly conduct but should instead spark deeper discussion about the financial realities confronting young Ghanaians.
He concluded by urging more robust government action to tackle youth unemployment and to open up lasting opportunities for the younger generation.
