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President of the Ghana Youth Federation, Sherif Ghale, says persistent underfunding of youth employment programmes is crippling efforts to address unemployment among young people despite the existence of multiple well-designed policies.
Speaking on Channel 247’s Newzroom live with host Awuraabena Boateng, Mr Ghale acknowledged that successive governments have introduced several initiatives aimed at empowering the youth, but warned that inadequate and inconsistent funding continues to limit their effectiveness.
He noted that both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have performed creditably in terms of policy formulation, citing programmes such as the Youth Employment Agency, the National Apprenticeship Programme, One Million Coders, and youth entrepreneurship support schemes.
According to Mr Ghale, Ghana has also made progress institutionally with the establishment of a standalone Ministry for Youth Development, a move he described as historic and indicative of growing recognition of youth-related challenges.
However, he stressed that funding shortfalls have become a recurring problem, explaining that budget allocations announced in Parliament often do not translate into actual releases to implementing agencies.
He cited the National Apprenticeship Programme, which was expected to receive about GH¢300 million last year to train 100,000 young people but failed to receive the full allocation. He added that the programme’s budget was further reduced this year, limiting its capacity to expand and absorb growing demand.
“When awareness of these programmes increases, applications also increase. That is when funding should go up, not come down,” Mr Ghale said, describing the situation as demoralising for young people seeking skills and employment opportunities.
He warned that repeated underfunding risks turning youth policies into political rhetoric rather than sustainable solutions, especially in a country where nearly three-quarters of the population is made up of young people.
Mr Ghale called on government to prioritise youth employment financing and ensure sustained investment, warning that failure to do so could have long-term consequences for national development and social stability.
