The youth: Imperative for sustainable development

This year’s commemoration of World Population Day (WPD) last week serves as a reminder of the urgent need to act decisively on one of the nation’s most critical priorities — youth empowerment. 

With an estimated 13 million young people representing 38.2 per cent of the population, as captured in the 2021 Population and Housing Census, our country sits on a demographic goldmine.

Yet, this potential remains grossly underutilised.

This year’s theme, “Empowering the youth to create quality families in an inclusive society,” is more than a call for reflection; it is a call to action. 

The youth, by their sheer numbers and transformative potential, are the linchpin of any sustainable development effort.

The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, emphasised at the WPD event in Accra, “Until we nurture the youth’s potential, equip them with relevant skills and guide their passions, we risk missing out on the greatest resource we have for transforming our societies.’’

This statement should resonate deeply across all sectors — government, civil society, religious and traditional authorities, and the private sector — because it articulates the truth of our national reality.

Youth empowerment cannot remain an agenda for speeches, policy papers or isolated programmes.

It must become the backbone of our development framework.

We must transition from inspiration to infrastructure; from motivation to measurable investment.

The statistics tell a compelling and disturbing story. Over 1.1 million young people in Ghana are currently unemployed.

This unemployment rate is not just a statistic — it is a social and economic time bomb. Even more alarming is the reality that 14 per cent of girls aged 15 to 19 have already begun childbearing.

A 15 per cent national teenage pregnancy rate is a health issue and a developmental emergency.

As the UNFPA’s Deputy Country Representative, Emily Kamwendo-Naphambo, aptly put it, it “robs girls of their education, economic future and their right to choose.”

The Daily Graphic sees these figures as symptomatic of deeper structural deficiencies in the country's approach to youth development. It is not enough to simply ask young people to “dream big.”

As Ms Gomashie stressed, we must create space and systems for those dreams to take root and blossom.

Young people must be equipped not just with academic knowledge but with life skills, vocational training, mentorship opportunities and access to health services, especially sexual and reproductive health care.

These are the tools that anchor responsible adulthood and productive citizenship. Ghana’s future hinges not on the abundance of our natural resources such as gold, cocoa or oil, but on the ambition, creativity and resolve of our youth.

A report by the World Bank has shown that countries that effectively harness their youth population through education, skills training and entrepreneurship can experience up to a two per cent boost in annual GDP growth.

In other words, investing in youth is not charity — it is sound economics and nation-building.

This is why government initiatives such as the integration of skills training into all levels of education deserve commendation and robust support. 

However, the Daily Graphic reasons that beyond state-led interventions, it is time for a more inclusive and collaborative framework.

The private sector must look beyond profit margins and invest in internships, apprenticeships and start-up capital for young entrepreneurs.

Traditional leaders must stand boldly against child marriage and other retrogressive practices that curtail the potential of young girls.

Civil society must amplify the voices of youth in decision-making spaces, and religious institutions must promote values that inspire responsibility and productivity.

We must not wait further. It is time to prioritise the building of a Ghana where every young person — regardless of gender, location or background — has the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the society they live in.

Youth who are empowered today will become parents who raise healthy, educated children tomorrow.

They will lead communities, build businesses, and nurture the next generation of innovators and problem-solvers.

As the Executive Director of the National Population Council, Angelina Kodua Nyanor, rightly stated, “We must continually empower our youth with the right tools, including values, technical skills, and mentorship programmes.”

We can no longer afford to treat youth empowerment as an annual discussion topic or a ceremonial obligation. It must be a national mission.

If we fail to act now, we risk not only the future of these young people but the future of Ghana.