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Bernard Mornah, a leading political activist, has warned that rising youth unemployment under President John Mahama poses a serious national security threat, cautioning that prolonged inaction could deepen social unrest and undermine national stability.
In a statement shared on his Facebook page, Mornah acknowledged that the Mahama administration’s first year in office has brought a degree of fiscal stabilization and restored confidence among international partners. However, he stressed that these gains mean little to ordinary Ghanaians struggling with joblessness and rising living costs.
According to Mornah, youth unemployment is no longer a mere economic challenge but a security emergency, as large numbers of unemployed young people become increasingly vulnerable to crime, political manipulation, and social disaffection.
“Chronic unemployment among the youth is a ticking time bomb,” he wrote, adding that no government can afford to treat the issue with timidity or delay.
He criticised the administration’s focus on fiscal consolidation without a corresponding, aggressive jobs strategy, arguing that economic reforms that fail to create employment risk punishing the poor while protecting entrenched interests.
Mornah further questioned the pace of flagship job-creation initiatives, noting that repeated policy announcements have yet to translate into measurable outcomes for young people across the country.
He called on the government to move beyond slogans and develop a clear, time-bound employment plan that prioritises skills development, industrial expansion, and support for local enterprise.
The activist warned that failure to decisively tackle youth unemployment could rapidly erode public trust and fuel insecurity, stressing that leadership would ultimately be judged not by intentions but by the material improvement in citizens’ lives.
