Dr Osae-Kwapong,  director of democracy project, has called on presidential candidates to prioritize youth unemployment and treat it with the urgency it requires.

He said it’s certainly evident that Ghanaian youth are facing significant economic challenges, and the issue of unemployment requires immediate attention.

“We need to understand that tackling unemployment is closely linked to effective economic management,” he emphasized.

Manifestos

In an interview with the Daily Graphic, Dr Osae-Kwapong stated that regardless of whether the political party manifestos for the upcoming election clearly outline it, the candidates are presenting ideas and making commitments regarding job creation and addressing the nation’s economic issues.

To what extent will these ideas and proposals genuinely tackle the unemployment challenges facing the youth? While some of the proposals show promises, their effectiveness will depend on successful implementation.

Youth unemployment

Contextualizing the issue of youth employment, Dr. Osae-Kwapong noted that in the Afrobarometer Round 8 survey conducted in 2019, when asked which areas the government should focus on for youth support programs, 60 percent of respondents indicated “job creation”

Dr Osae-Kwapong said when asked how well the government was handling both, only 14 per cent rated the government’s efforts well on job creation and another 16 per cent, its efforts on managing the economy.

He said at the end of the survey,70 per cent described their living conditions as fairly bad/very bad; 58 per cent said they had gone without cash income at least more than once over a twelve-month period; and only 23 per cent were optimistic that the country’s economic conditions would get better.

Addressing ”

Dr Osae-Kwapong said if the unemployment situation facing the youth was the lack of employable skills, then ideas such as building the digital skills of the youth, and increased investment in Technical and Vocational Training (TVET), which was  in their manifestioes should be implemented.

“There is no shortage of ideas from candidates seeking office to tackle public issues in Ghana. The challenge lies in the effective and efficient implementation of these ideas after elections, through structured policies and programs,” he stated.

“There will be only one winner in December. We can only hope that this winner will foster a policy  across the country  to effectively address youth unemployment,” he emphasized