Dr. John Osae-Kwapong, the director of Democracy Project, has urged presidential contenders to address the issue of youth unemployment with the seriousness it requires.
He asserted that it was obvious that Ghanaian young were experiencing difficult economic times and that the problem of unemployment needed to be addressed immediately.
He said, “We must also realize that proper management of the economy cannot be separated from addressing unemployment.”
Declarations
In a media interview, Dr. Osae-Kwapong stated that presidential candidates were putting forth ideas and promises regarding job creation, including how to address the nation’s economic challenges, whether or not this had been explicitly stated in the political party manifestos for the 2024 elections or during campaign stump speeches.
How much will these concepts and recommendations actually help young people who are struggling with unemployment? Although it is challenging to provide a definitive response, he said that some of the solutions on the table do have potential if they are successfully executed.
Unemployment among youth
Putting the issue of young employment in perspective, Dr. Osae-Kwapong stated that 60% of respondents to the 2019 Afrobarometer Round 8 survey chose “job creation” as the subject the government should focus on if there was a chance to fund youth-helping initiatives.
Two concerns were found to be crucial for the youth out of the 26 topics that the government should address in the Afrobarometer Round 9 (2022).
Those, he claimed, were unemployment and economic management.
Only 14% of respondents thought the government was doing a good job of creating jobs, and another 16% thought it was doing a good job of managing the economy, according to Dr. Osae-Kwapong.
In 2022, he noted, “The final point worth noting is the economic pinch points the youth expressed in Afrobarometer Round nine.”
According to him, 70% of respondents characterized their living conditions as “fairly bad” or “very bad,” 58% of them reported going at least once during a 12-month period without cash income, and only 23% expressed optimism that the nation’s economic circumstances would improve.
Filling the gap
According to Dr. Osae-Kwapong, if the young unemployment problem stemmed from a lack of employable skills, then initiatives like enhancing youth digital skills and increasing funding for Technical and Vocational Training (TVET), which were included in all party manifestos, were worthwhile.
“It was worthwhile to try ideas to expand the economy, like the 24-hour economy, government support for various start-up initiatives, or different workforce development programs, if the youth unemployment situation is the result of a contracted economy,” he said.
Ideas like a) the establishment of a youth employment bureau, jobs for you program, SME bank, or tax amnesty program were worth trying, he said, if the government did not adequately intervene in the youth unemployment situation by creating public structures to support job growth or by offering the right incentives to the private sector.
“There is never a lack of proposals from political contenders to solve Ghana’s public issues. What remains difficult, he said, is putting them into practice effectively and efficiently after elections through carefully thought-out programs and initiatives.
In December, there will only be one winner. He emphasized, “Let’s hope that the victor can create a policy consensus across party lines on how to best address youth unemployment.”