Ghana’s growing youth interest in migrating abroad is a reflection of the country’s failure to provide enough jobs and economic opportunities for its young population, the Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr Nii Moi Thompson, has said.
He said the situation required a fundamental shift in the country’s approach to skills development, employment creation and economic planning to restore confidence among the youth.
Speaking at a TVET Stakeholders Engagement Dialogue in Accra, Dr Thompson said a recent Afrobarometer survey showed that 72 per cent of Ghanaian youth had considered emigrating, with more than half of them identifying the search for jobs as a major reason.
He said the statistics should serve as a wake-up call to policymakers to create an economy capable of providing young people with meaningful livelihoods.
“We have disappointed them. We can no longer just grow our economy, therefore, we must grow hope,” Dr Thompson said.
According to him, growing hope would require deliberate investments in skills training and the creation of sustainable employment opportunities that could convince young people that they had a future in Ghana.
He stressed that technical and vocational education and training (TVET) had an important role to play in addressing the challenge by equipping young people with practical skills that matched the needs of industry.
“We must give the youth a reason for them to stay and build this country for themselves and for the future,” he said.
Dr Thompson acknowledged the seriousness of the situation, describing the figures on youth migration intentions as “dire” and stressing that they represented broader national trends rather than isolated individual choices.
He urged stakeholders to treat youth employment and skills development as urgent national priorities, arguing that Ghana’s economic progress must translate into tangible opportunities for its growing young population.
