The President of the Ghana Youth Federation, Sherif Ghali, has raised fresh concerns over the country’s worsening youth employment challenge, revealing that nearly two million Ghanaians between the ages of 15 and 35 are currently neither pursuing education nor engaged in employment or vocational training.
Mr Ghali said the figures represented a serious socioeconomic challenge that required urgent attention from policymakers, arguing that youth unemployment should not be viewed merely through statistical measurements but should instead be understood through the personal struggles confronting young people across the country.
He made the disclosure on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, when he addressed participants at the National Youth Forum, where he called for stronger and more sustainable interventions to expand employment opportunities and improve the economic prospects of the country’s youthful population.
According to Mr Ghali, unemployment among young people remains considerably above the national average, with the youth unemployment rate currently standing at 21.9 per cent compared with the national figure of 12.8 per cent.
He further indicated that the situation was even more severe in the Greater Accra Region, where youth unemployment reportedly stood at 31.9 per cent.
For Mr Ghali, the statistics should not be reduced to percentages and numerical estimates because behind every figure is a young Ghanaian struggling to secure employment, develop a career or establish a sustainable source of income.
“Nearly 2 million young Ghanaians between age 15 and 35 are neither in education, nor employment, nor training. That is not a statistic. That is a young man in Wa who has sent out 40 applications and has not gotten any reply, not even a rejection,” he said.
He said the problem also affected young people who had acquired practical skills but lacked the financial resources required to transform those skills into viable businesses.
Mr Ghali cited the example of an apprentice in Kasoa who had completed her training but had been unable to raise the money needed to acquire basic equipment and begin working independently.
“That is a young woman in Kasoa who has finished apprenticeship, but for the past two years cannot raise 1,500 cedis to buy a sewing machine,” he explained.
He argued that such circumstances demonstrated that addressing youth unemployment required more than simply creating temporary employment schemes, insisting that young people also needed access to affordable financing, equipment, mentorship and sustainable opportunities that could enable them to establish and expand their own enterprises.
Mr Ghali also drew attention to the recent scenes involving young people who crowded into a KFC outlet following a promotional offer that reduced the price of chicken and fries to GH¢15.
Videos of the incident circulated widely on social media and showed large numbers of young people attempting to access the promotion, with some reportedly pushing against security personnel in their efforts to enter the premises.
Mr Ghali said the incident should not simply be dismissed as irresponsible conduct or disorderly behaviour, arguing instead that it should encourage deeper reflection on the economic conditions influencing the decisions and behaviour of young people.
“A few days ago, KFC ran a promotion. The promotion said 15 cedis for chicken and fries. You saw the videos. Young people were pushing. Young people were fighting security to get inside,” he said.
He suggested that the public reaction to the incident should take into consideration the broader financial pressures facing many young Ghanaians, particularly those struggling with unemployment, limited incomes and inadequate economic opportunities.
The Ghana Youth Federation President consequently called for intensified government action to address the structural factors contributing to youth unemployment and underemployment.
He advocated for policies capable of creating dependable employment opportunities while simultaneously supporting entrepreneurship, vocational development and access to productive resources.
Mr Ghali stressed that young people needed opportunities that could provide them with stable livelihoods rather than interventions that offered only short term relief.
He further urged policymakers, development organisations and other stakeholders to treat youth employment as a national development priority because the ability of young people to secure decent livelihoods has significant implications for household welfare, economic productivity and social stability.
The figures presented at the National Youth Forum have therefore renewed attention on the scale of Ghana’s youth employment challenge, particularly the large number of young people who remain outside formal education, employment and training.
For Mr Ghali, the challenge requires a response that goes beyond statistics and policy declarations, with meaningful interventions needed to help young Ghanaians acquire skills, secure employment, establish businesses and build financially sustainable futures.
