President Akufo-Addo advised to address surging national youth unemployment

A human rights advocate has called on the next President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s government to address the high national youth unemployment in the country.

According to Mr Raphael Godlove Ahenu, the Chief Executive Officer of the Global Media Foundation (GLOMeF), a human rights and media advocacy non-governmental organization, surging youth unemployment threatened national security and stability.

“A holistic and well-integrated measure is required if the nation could succeed in tackling her high unemployment and under-employment”, Mr Ahenu told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview in Sunyani.

He underlined the importance for the government to develop a 5-year pragmatic policy that would address the menace saying under such policy government would have to adequately resource institutions such as National Youth Authority (NYA).

“If the NYA is resourced, then it would be in a better position to engage and provide employable skills training to young people to go into entrepreneurship”, Mr Ahenu added.

Unemployment, he added, had become a national security issue, which required it to be addressed urgently, so as to curb armed robbery, internet scam and fraud, sport betting, and gaming among young people.

“I think creation of sustainable and better jobs through effective policy implementation, innovative practices, stronger capacities, and integrated strategies at all levels must be a priority of the next President Akufo-Addo’s agenda.

“President Akufo-Addo can succeed if his government institutes a financial support scheme for young entrepreneurs to empower them to employ or engage more of the teeming unemployed youth. Young entrepreneurs must also be assisted to access international markets”, he said.