Youth unemployment now a national security concern – George Opare Addo

The Minister of Youth Development and Employment, George Opare Addo, has cautioned that the growing rate of joblessness among young people has serious implications for national security and requires urgent, joint efforts to resolve.

His remarks follow the release of recent statistics by the Ghana Statistical Service indicating that over 1.3 million young people were neither employed nor engaged in education or skills training as of the third quarter of 2025.

The data shows that individuals aged 15 to 24 accounted for 21.5 percent of those classified as not in education, employment, or training, highlighting mounting pressure on the job market and persistent skills mismatches.

Speaking in an interview on Thursday, December 18, 2025, the minister described the current situation as deeply worrying, noting that youth unemployment should be a shared concern for citizens and policymakers alike.

“The scale of unemployment we are seeing is frightening. It presents a significant risk to national security, and everyone must take the issue seriously,” Opare Addo stated, while noting that government interventions are underway to drastically bring down the figures.

The minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to tackling the challenge by rolling out targeted programmes aimed at reconnecting young people with employment opportunities and productive ventures, as part of wider efforts to maintain social and economic stability.