SONA 2025: President Mahama prioritises aquaculture and youth employment
President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed his government’s commitment to aquaculture development, pledging financial and technical support to young fish farmers to increase production and reduce Ghana’s dependency on fish imports.
Delivering his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) since assuming office, President Mahama outlined plans to enhance value addition in the fisheries sector by encouraging the establishment of fish processing facilities to create more jobs.
Support for women in the fisheries sector
He also highlighted his administration’s commitment to empowering women in the fisheries industry through financial capital and capacity-building initiatives for female fish processors and traders.
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"While we work hard to fix the economy and provide jobs in all sectors, including agribusiness, one of the biggest crises we face in this country is youth unemployment," he stated.
Tackling youth unemployment
The President expressed deep concern over the rising youth unemployment rate, revealing that an estimated two million young people are currently jobless.
"This poses a major security risk to the country and requires urgent attention," he stressed.
To tackle this challenge, President Mahama announced the establishment of the Ministry for Youth Development and Empowerment, which will provide focused leadership and coordination of youth employment programmes.
The new ministry will be responsible for formulating, coordinating, and monitoring policies aimed at promoting youth development and empowerment nationwide.
