Youth unemployment in Ghana has reached 32% among individuals aged 15 to 24, according to data from the Ghana Statistical Service. The Economic Fighters League (EFL) has declared this alarming rate a national security threat. The pressure group advocates for a fundamental shift in Ghana's economic management, urging a move from a 'procurement economy' to an investment-driven development model.
This proposed model aims to create large-scale employment opportunities for young people. The EFL argues that Ghana's growing youth unemployment crisis demands structural reforms. These reforms should prioritize investment in people over public spending driven by procurement. The group emphasizes that Ghana's youthful population, with a median age of 21.6 years and over half its citizens below 25, should be seen as a productive national asset, not an economic burden.
Ghana's high youth unemployment rate fits into a broader national economic narrative marked by structural challenges. Despite a large pool of unemployed graduates and skilled young people, the country faces critical shortages. These include teachers, healthcare workers, affordable housing, sanitation services, and food production. This paradox highlights a disconnect between available human resources and national development needs. The EFL's call for an investment-led approach aligns with ongoing debates about sustainable economic growth and inclusive development in Ghana.
Dr. Fred Otu-Larbi, Head of Strategic Research at the Economic Fighters League, stated that the country's development challenges and unemployed workforce should be linked. He suggested this could be achieved through deliberate public investment programmes. These programmes would absorb trained professionals into productive sectors. For example, trained teachers could be deployed to underserved schools. Unemployed nurses could be recruited into health facilities. Young people could be engaged in community sanitation and environmental management programmes.
The EFL attributes this disconnect to what it calls a 'procurement-driven political economy'. They contend that governments have historically channelled public resources into projects with large procurement components. Such arrangements often create opportunities for inflated contracts, kickbacks, and other forms of corruption. This occurs at the expense of labour-intensive investments capable of generating employment. Programmes focused on wages, skills development, and workforce expansion receive less attention because they offer fewer opportunities for procurement-related abuses.
The group proposes increased public investment in several key areas. These include affordable housing, agriculture, irrigation, food processing, healthcare, education, and sanitation. These are seen as sustainable pathways for creating employment while simultaneously addressing Ghana's developmental challenges. Large-scale housing projects using locally sourced building materials could create tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs. Expanded irrigation schemes and the recruitment of teachers and nurses would also contribute significantly to job creation across the country.
The EFL also criticized the prioritization of expensive procurement projects over investments in human capital. They cited the procurement of electronic tablets for schools as an example. This occurred despite persistent shortages of teachers in many classrooms. This illustrates a misallocation of resources that fails to address fundamental educational needs.
Ghana's unemployment challenge stems from structural weaknesses in governance, not a lack of human resources, the Economic Fighters League concluded. They called for a comprehensive reorientation of public policy. This reorientation should focus on solving national development problems through investment in people. Such an approach would simultaneously reduce unemployment and accelerate economic transformation. Meaningful progress will require governments to prioritize long-term national development over short-term political and financial interests. An investment economy offers a more sustainable route to inclusive growth and job creation.