CSR must address youth unemployment — MTN Foundation Chair

Corporate organisations must rethink their Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) and reshape them to a more targeted approach to address the employability crisis directly.

The Board Chairman of the MTN Ghana Foundation, Professor Franklyn Acheampong Manu, who made the call in Accra on Wednesday August 27,explained that while building schools and providing scholarships were important, the country needed a more targeted approach that addressed the employability crisis directly.

He expressed concern over the unemployment rate among the youth. He said companies could be part of the solution by investing in mentorship programmes, entrepreneurship hubs and technology training centres that would allow young people to learn practical skills and build sustainable businesses.

Speaking at the MTN House in a programme dubbed “The Bright Conversations with Prof. Franklyn Manu”, he stressed the importance of digital literacy in the present-day economy, describing technology as the foundation of modern growth.

He stated that young people who embraced digital tools could find jobs and create their own, contributing to national development.

Collaboration

Prof. Manu, therefore, called for strong collaboration among the government, the private sector, civil society organisations and educational institutions to tackle the growing unemployment problem.

He explained that no single actor could solve the issue alone, as it required a multi-sectoral effort. 

Prof. Manu urged the youth to take responsibility by shifting their focus from short-term money-making schemes such as galamsey to sustainable ventures in vocational training, digital innovation and entrepreneurship.

“The future of Ghana rests on how well we prepare the next generation. If we empower them with the right skills and mindset, they will drive innovation, create jobs and transform our country,” he emphasised.

Unemployment, galamsey

The MTN Ghana Foundation board chairman said unemployment among the youth was alarming and had pushed many of them into illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, in search of “quick money”, while others continued to struggle due to the mismatch between academic qualifications and the practical skills required in today’s job market, a trend he called for a concerted approach to address.

‘Quick money may look attractive today, but cannot replace the value of a lasting career built on knowledge and skills,” he stated.

Prof. Manu explained that the lure of quick financial rewards blinded many young people to the long-term risks, including the destruction of arable land, pollution of water bodies, health hazards and the lack of sustainable income.

He added that the dependence on galamsey was eroding the country’s human capital potential and deepening the threat to the environment, which future generations would inherit.

Skills gap

Another critical challenge, according to Prof. Manu, was the skills gap between what graduates were being taught in classrooms and what industries actually needed. 

He stressed that many young people were leaving school with certificates without the technical or entrepreneurial skills that could make them employable or self-reliant.

He described the current situation as a mismatch between “education and employability,” pointing out that this gap was a major reason for graduate unemployment. 

He argued that without deliberate efforts to align academic training with the job market realities, the country risked producing more graduates who remained dependent rather than independent.

Beneficiaries 

Several beneficiaries of the MTN Bright Scholarship expressed gratitude to MTN Ghana for supporting their education and shaping their careers.

An Optometrist at the Fresh Eye Centre, Dr Carolyne Yanney, who was among the first batch of recipients in 2018, recalled how the scholarship eased the financial burden on her parents and gave her peace of mind to focus on her studies. 

“I didn’t think I was going to complete school, but once I got the scholarship, it took the weight off my shoulders,” she said.

A medical doctor at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Michael Asare, also praised MTN for providing tuition support and stipends for books.

Another beneficiary, Elvis Turkson, a civil servant at the Ministry of Finance, said the scholarship programme not only supported him through school but also helped him build networks that contributed to his career growth. 

“Scholarships like this free your mind from financial worries and allow you to focus on excellence,” he noted.

A professional master of ceremonies and marketer, Ethel Agbang Sokuu, added that MTN’s impact deserved more public recognition. 

She called for creative ways of showcasing the stories of beneficiaries so that more people would appreciate the company’s contribution.