Ghanaian youth need jobs, not slogans – Oppong Nkrumah
The Member of Parliament for Ofoase-Ayirebi and Ranking Member on Parliament’s Economy and Development Committee, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has called on the government to treat the country’s growing unemployment challenge as a matter of urgency, warning that the situation is becoming increasingly dire for young people.
According to the legislator, Ghanaian youth are not interested in political slogans or rhetoric but are demanding practical and sustainable interventions that create dignified and well-paying jobs.
Contributing to discussions on the state of youth unemployment in Parliament, Mr. Oppong Nkrumah noted that unemployment among young people continues to rise despite the introduction of several government programmes aimed at addressing the problem.
“The youth of Ghana do not need slogans. They need feasible programmes that create dignified and well-paid jobs,” he stressed.
The Ofoase-Ayirebi MP argued that while skills development initiatives are important, they must be complemented by deliberate efforts to create employment opportunities that can absorb the growing number of young people entering the labour market each year.
To address the worsening situation, Mr. Oppong Nkrumah proposed a number of measures, including the establishment of a credible Labour Market Information System to provide accurate and timely data on employment trends and opportunities across the country.
He also advocated for a clear separation between skills creation and job creation programmes, explaining that equipping young people with skills alone does not automatically translate into employment unless there are corresponding opportunities within the economy.
Additionally, the Ranking Member called for all government job creation programmes to be anchored on clear and measurable performance indicators. These, he said, should include the number of beneficiaries reached, employment retention rates, business survival rates, and other key metrics that would enable policymakers and the public to assess the effectiveness of such interventions.
Mr. Oppong Nkrumah emphasized that the country’s youth unemployment challenge requires practical solutions backed by accountability and measurable outcomes rather than promises and slogans.
He urged government, policymakers, and stakeholders to work together to develop a comprehensive and sustainable strategy that would create meaningful employment opportunities for young people and help unlock Ghana’s economic potential.
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