Asantehene urges Mahama to prioritise tackling rising unemployment

Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has urged President John Dramani Mahama to take decisive steps to address Ghana’s growing unemployment crisis, warning that the issue poses a significant threat to national stability.

Speaking at the 59th Congregation of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) on Saturday, November 29, the Asantehene reiterated his earlier call for the German government to support investments in Ghana’s Small and Medium-Scale Enterprises (SMEs).

“We are all aware of the unemployment situation in this nation. That is why I raised the matter when the German President and Ambassador visited me last month,” he said.

He stressed that boosting SME development is crucial, adding, “Unemployment is a major issue in the country. It is a national concern, and the President should take a keen interest in this critical issue.”

Otumfuo also highlighted the pressing need for increased staffing at KNUST, noting that the university’s student-to-lecturer ratio has become unsustainable.

“The recent five-year cyclical review of our university by the Ghana Education Commission has brought the inadequate staffing challenge sharply into focus. The current ratio puts heavy pressure on our dedicated lecturers and threatens the quality of teaching and learning,” he stated.

He therefore appealed to the government to provide financial clearance for the recruitment of more academic and administrative staff to safeguard the university’s standards.