Ghana stands at a crossroads. Once celebrated as one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies, the nation now faces a grim paradox: impressive growth statistics on paper, yet deepening poverty and social despair in reality.
The World Bank describes Accra as one of the continent’s most modern and prosperous capitals. But beyond the city’s gleaming skyline lies a troubling story of widening inequality and unrealised potential, a nation struggling to translate progress into shared prosperity.
According to the 2023 Multidimensional Poverty Index, 25.2 percent of Ghanaians live below the poverty line, while another 20.1 percent are at risk of falling into poverty. The UN Development Programme further reports that most Ghanaians living in extreme poverty are in rural areas, surviving on less than $1.90 a day.
Even more disturbing, the World Food Programme warns that one million Ghanaian children under the age of five are chronically malnourished. These figures expose a growing disconnect between economic growth and the well-being of citizens.
At the heart of this crisis lies a deeper and more dangerous problem: youth unemployment. Every year, tens of thousands of young people complete their education only to face a labour market that cannot absorb them. This has created a generation trapped between education and opportunity, a ticking time bomb that threatens Ghana’s social stability. With no clear path to employment, many young people turn to survive and often unlawful ventures such as illegal mining (galamsey) and unregulated commercial motorbike transport (okada).
What began as economic improvisation has now spiraled into a national security and environmental crisis. Galamsey, initially framed as a youth employment alternative, has devastated Ghana’s rivers, forests, and farmlands. Meanwhile, Okada operations which are technically illegal, have become both a livelihood source and a criminal tool, linked to armed robbery, accidents and violent conflicts.
Yet, some politicians are pushing for the legalization of Okada as a populist measure to win votes. Such short-term expediency risks entrenching lawlessness rather than solving unemployment.
The Chronicle recognises the government’s efforts to address poverty and joblessness. However, ad hoc initiatives and campaign-driven policies will not suffice. Ghana urgently needs a coherent national employment strategy that aligns education, skills development and industrial growth. Investment in technical and vocational training, entrepreneurship support, and value-added manufacturing is critical if the country is to absorb its restless youth population.
Equally, corruption must be confronted head-on. Every cedi lost to graft is a stolen job opportunity, a blocked scholarship, or an unfunded training programme. Without transparency and accountability, no economic plan can truly succeed.
As former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela said in Trafalgar Square, London, on February3, 2005 during the Make Poverty History campaign – “As long as poverty, injustice and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest.”
Ghana’s future rests on the hope and productivity of its young people. When the youth lose faith in the system, the entire nation risks instability. It is time for bold, coordinated action, not political slogans to transform youth unemployment from a national burden into the engine of Ghana’s renewal.
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