By Ephraim Ofori Numosuor.
For decades, Ghana’s youth have been promised opportunities, jobs, and a shot at a better future. From one administration to another, flashy programs and interventions have been launched with great fanfare, only to collapse under the weight of poor planning, mismanagement, and political gimmickry. The faces of hope that once greeted these initiatives eventually turned into expressions of disappointment.
Now, with a new government in place and a stand-alone Youth Ministry dedicated to championing youth affairs and job creation, Ghanaians are watching. Will this be another round of grand announcements and short-lived employment schemes, or will this government finally crack the code to sustainable youth employment?
A History of Good Intentions, Bad Execution
Several past interventions were launched with the right intentions but ultimately failed. Here are few examples;
1. National Youth Employment Program (NYEP) – 2006
· The program aimed to absorb thousands of young Ghanaians into temporary jobs in sanitation, teaching, and health services.
· Why it failed: It was largely unsustainable, dependent on government funding without a clear strategy for transitioning workers into permanent employment. Salaries were often delayed, and political interference led to inefficiencies.
2. Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Agency (GYEEDA) – 2012
· Rebranded from NYEP, GYEEDA sought to tackle youth unemployment through skills training and job placement.
· Why it failed: A massive corruption scandal revealed how millions of cedis meant for training programs were mismanaged. Instead of creating jobs, it became a cash cow for politically connected individuals.
3. Youth Employment Agency (YEA) – 2015
· Another rebrand of NYEP/GYEEDA, YEA promised to fix past mistakes and offer structured employment programs.
· Why it struggled: While some successes were recorded, funding issues, political interference, and lack of scalability meant that many beneficiaries saw only short-term relief, not long-term career paths.
4. NABCO (Nation Builders Corps) – 2018
· Aimed at placing graduates in various government institutions on a stipend.
· Why it failed: NABCO became a temporary fix without a clear pathway to permanent jobs. After their contracts expired, thousands of beneficiaries found themselves back in the unemployment pool, with little to show for their experience.
Why These Interventions Have Failed
· Lack of Sustainability: Most of these programs were government-funded with no solid plan to transition beneficiaries into permanent roles in the private sector.
· Political Short-sightedness: Every new government scraps the previous initiative and rebrands it, wasting resources and institutional knowledge.
· Corruption and Mismanagement: Money meant for training and salaries often goes missing or is misappropriated, leading to disillusionment among the youth.
· Limited Private Sector Integration: The government cannot create jobs for everyone. Yet, past programs have focused heavily on public sector employment, neglecting the role of the private sector in sustainable job creation.
A New Strategy for Real Change
If this new government truly wants to break the cycle and create meaningful, lasting employment for the youth, it must adopt a radical shift in strategy:
1. Move from Short-Term Schemes to Sustainable Career Paths
o Instead of temporary employment, job interventions should focus on equipping young people with industry-relevant skills and connecting them to long-term opportunities.
o Invest in technical and vocational training aligned with Ghana’s growing industries like agribusiness, technology, and renewable energy.
2. Bridge the Gap Between Skills and Market Demand
o Establish direct partnerships with businesses to ensure that training programs lead to real jobs.
o Create incentives for industries to hire and train young workers, rather than relying on government employment schemes.
3. Support Youth Entrepreneurship with More than Just Loans
o Access to capital is important, but mentorship, market linkages, and business-friendly policies are what truly help young entrepreneurs succeed.
o A dedicated Startup Growth Fund should be created, where the government partners with venture capital firms to co-invest in promising youth-led businesses.
4. Decentralize Job Creation Efforts
o Not all job solutions should come from Accra. District Assemblies should have dedicated youth employment desks that work directly with local businesses to identify job opportunities and provide tailored skills training.
5. Adopt a Performance-Based Model for Youth Agencies
o The new Youth Ministry should not just be another bureaucratic office. It must be data-driven, measuring its success based on the number of permanent jobs created, not just how many people receive stipends.
A Defining Moment for Ghana’s Youth
This is not the time for another cycle of promises and failed interventions. Ghana’s youth are watching, and they deserve more than rebranded versions of old, broken programs. The new government and its youth agencies have a rare opportunity to rewrite the narrative, by learning from past failures and adopting bold, transformative strategies that create real, lasting employment.
The question is: Will they rise to the occasion, or will history repeat itself?
Time will tell.
