Ghana is a youthful country, with persons aged 15 to 35 constituting about 36.9 per cent of the population, according to the Ghana Statistical Service. In the 2021 Population and Housing Census, young people numbered 11.78 million, representing 38.2% of the population. However, they are confronting a labour market that is struggling to absorb their energy, education, and aspirations. The country's youthful population is postponing marriage, graduates are repeatedly submitting applications for employment without receiving responses, apprentices are finishing training without equipment or capital, and young entrepreneurs' ideas remain in notebooks due to lack of affordable finance.
The latest figures on youth unemployment paint a sobering picture. Youth unemployment averaged 21.9% in the first three quarters of 2025, compared with national unemployment of 12.8%. Nearly two million young people aged 15 to 35 were not in employment, education, or training by the third quarter of 2025. Afrobarometer reported in 2025 that about one-third of young Ghanaians surveyed said they were looking for work, while many were considering migration in search of better economic opportunities. This situation deprives the country of productivity at a time when its youthful population could generate a demographic dividend.
The youth question was central to the electioneering campaign message of the National Democratic Congress during the 2024 general election. The party's Presidential Candidate, Mr John Mahama, presented several proposals intended to address unemployment, skills gaps, entrepreneurship, and the difficulty young people faced in moving from education into productive work. The proposals included a National Apprenticeship Programme, the Adwumawura Programme, a Young Entrepreneurs Microcredit institution, youth innovation and industrial parks, start-up support for artisans, and a comprehensive credit system for youth entrepreneurs.
Since assuming office in January 2025, President Mahama's government has introduced or advanced several youth-focused interventions, notably the National Apprenticeship Programme and the Adwumawura Programme. The National Apprenticeship Programme provides free technical and vocational training, especially for young people, and aims to formalise and strengthen the country's largely informal apprenticeship system. The Adwumawura initiative targets young people aged 18 to 35 years and supports at least 10,000 youth-led businesses annually through training, mentorship, equipment, and business development assistance.
However, the scale of these interventions must be measured against the size of the challenge. For example, more than 200,000 young people reportedly applied for the National Apprenticeship Programme in 2025, while the 2026 budget allocation of GH¢150 million was described as insufficient to meet the government's target of training 100,000 people during the year. This means that initiatives can be well-designed but still fail to transform the national situation if financing cannot match demand.
Another part of the youth unemployment problem that deserves serious attention is the financing of institutions legally mandated to respond to it. The National Youth Authority Act, 2016, and the Youth Employment Agency Act, 2015, provide for specific allocations from the District Assemblies Common Fund. However, tracking by YEFL-Ghana and its Youth Budget Monitors has found that actual disbursements to these institutions have consistently fallen below the statutory requirements. In 2026, no amount was allocated to them under the DACF.
The poor or no funding for these institutions affects whether district-level youth programmes or initiatives can be planned and delivered consistently. If the institutions, which are legally expected to train, coordinate, empower, and create opportunities for young people, do not receive predictable financing, their ability to respond to the problem becomes severely restricted. The country's 2027 Budget Statement and Economic Policy must address these challenges and provide sufficient funding for youth-focused interventions to make a meaningful impact.
Key points
- The 2027 Budget Statement and Economic Policy must provide sufficient funding for youth-focused interventions to address the high youth unemployment rate in Ghana.
- The National Apprenticeship Programme and the Adwumawura Programme are important interventions, but their scale must be increased to match the size of the challenge.
- The financing of institutions legally mandated to respond to youth unemployment, such as the National Youth Authority and the Youth Employment Agency, must be improved to ensure predictable and sufficient funding.
