Renowned Ghanaian businessman Sir Sam Jonah has urged young Africans to embrace entrepreneurship and focus on creating jobs rather than relying solely on governments for employment.
He warned that Africa would continue to grapple with poverty and unemployment if young people remained predominantly job-seekers instead of becoming job-creators.
Speaking at the Methodist University Ghana International Conference on Thursday, October 15, 2026, Sir Sam Jonah said entrepreneurship must be recognised as a respectable career path rather than an alternative for those unable to secure formal employment.
“Make enterprise respectable again. Too many of our brightest young people still see business as something you do only if you could not get a government job. A nation of job-seekers will always be poor. We need a nation of job-creators,” he stated.
He expressed concern that many university graduates struggled to secure employment for years after completing their studies, highlighting the need for a shift in attitudes towards business creation and innovation.
According to him, African countries must encourage young people to develop business ideas, establish enterprises and create employment opportunities that contribute to economic growth.
Sir Sam Jonah also called on governments to establish an enabling environment for young graduates to invest, innovate and build successful businesses in their home countries.
He lamented that despite significant investments in educating young people, many African countries failed to provide sufficient opportunities for them to apply their knowledge and skills.
“We educate brilliant young people, at great cost, and then offer them nothing to do. Some sit at home. Some leave. Our best export is too often our best people,” he said.
He warned that the continued migration of skilled and talented young Africans in search of better opportunities abroad could deprive the continent of the human capital needed for sustainable development.
Sir Sam Jonah stressed that Africa’s economic future depended on creating an environment where young people could turn their ideas into viable businesses, generate employment and contribute to national development without feeling compelled to seek opportunities elsewhere.
