72% of Ghanaian youth want to leave the country — NDPC Chairman

Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC), Dr Nii Moi Thompson, has raised concerns over the growing desire among Ghanaian youth to leave the country, saying 72% have considered emigrating in search of better opportunities.

He said the situation reflected growing frustration among young people and highlighted the urgent need for Ghana to expand employment opportunities and equip the youth with skills that can improve their economic prospects.

Speaking at a TVET Stakeholders Engagement Dialogue in Accra, Dr Thompson said the country must go beyond economic growth and deliberately create conditions that give young people hope for a better future at home.

According to him, investment in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) could play a critical role in equipping young people with practical skills while opening up opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship.

Dr Thompson said the findings of a recent Afrobarometer survey should serve as a wake-up call to policymakers, particularly because a significant proportion of young people cited employment as a major reason for wanting to leave the country.

“According to the recent Afrobarometer survey, as many as 72 percent of Ghanaian youth want to emmigrate abroad, with more than half of them saying that they want to do so in search of jobs. We have disappointed them. We can no longer just grow our economy, therefore, we must grow hope and growing hope means creating employment opportunities.

“We must give the youth a reason for them to stay and build this country for themselves and for the future. It is all dire now I have to say and I must confess. These are aggregate statistics.”

The NDPC Chairman stressed that the figures should not be viewed merely as statistics but as an indication of the level of dissatisfaction among young people over their economic prospects.

He therefore called for stronger collaboration among government, industry and other stakeholders to expand skills development and create sustainable jobs capable of giving the youth a compelling reason to remain in Ghana and contribute to national development.