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President of the Ghana Youth Federation, Sherif Ghale, has warned that youth unemployment remains Ghana’s most serious national threat, stressing that failure to meaningfully engage young people could undermine the country’s future development.
Speaking on Channel 247’s Newzroom live with host Awuraabena Boateng, Mr Ghale said although governments over the years have introduced several youth-focused policies, the scale and seriousness required to address unemployment have been lacking.
He acknowledged that both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have rolled out initiatives such as the Youth Employment Agency, the National Apprenticeship Programme, One Million Coders, and youth entrepreneurship schemes, describing them as positive steps in policy direction.
However, Mr Ghale argued that the impact of these programmes has been limited due to poor funding, weak coordination and the inability to scale successful initiatives nationwide to meet the needs of the growing youth population.
According to him, Ghana’s youth bulge makes the situation more urgent, noting that about 73 per cent of the country’s population is made up of young people who require sustainable jobs, skills training and economic empowerment.
“When you consistently have young people without meaningful economic engagement, you are sitting on a time bomb,” he cautioned, adding that development gains in infrastructure and energy could be rendered meaningless if unemployment remains unresolved.
Mr Ghale also criticised government prioritisation, questioning why youth development often takes a back seat to other national commitments, including debt payments and large infrastructure projects.
“You can pay energy sector debts and build roads, but if young people don’t have jobs, what kind of nation are you building?” he asked, calling for youth employment to be treated as a core national security and development issue.
He further urged authorities to move beyond political slogans and rhetoric, insisting that youth programmes must be backed by sustained funding, proper implementation and deliberate stakeholder engagement to deliver real impact.
Mr Ghale warned that continued neglect of youth unemployment could lead to long-term social and economic instability, urging policymakers to act decisively to secure the future of Ghana’s young population.
