Abstract:
Youth unemployment in Africa today is of critical concern. Youths (ages 15-24)
in the region constituted 36.9 percent of the total working age population over
the period 1995-2005. Unemployed youths are forced to find alternatives to
generate income, including survival-type activities in the informal sector and
criminal activity in extreme cases. Urban youth unemployment is exacerbated
by rural-urban migration. The article examines how the unemployment situation
in Ghana is affecting the youth. Specifically, it looks at the magnitude of the unemployment
problem facing the youth in the country and the impact of youth
unemployment on the economy. A case study approach within the context of descriptive
analysis was adopted. The methods of analysis include reviews of existing
data sources and descriptive analysis of findings contained in the censuses
of 1960 through to 2000 as well as validation exercise using information
provided by the Ghana Living Standards Survey. The study recommends that
the self-employment and entrepreneurship development section of the Ministry
of Education be strengthened to give meaningful institutional backing to programs
aimed at enhancing the employment potentials of the youth.