Stakeholders Urge Sustained Investment in Youth to Harness Demographic Dividend

Stakeholders are calling for sustained investment in youth skills, reproductive health, and drug-abuse prevention to harness Ghana's demographic dividend.

Representatives from the National Youth Authority (NYA), National Population Council (NPC), and Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) met to examine challenges affecting young people and strategies for building a healthy, skilled, and productive population. William Nortey, a representative of the Regional Director of the NYA, stated that the country's future depends on a healthy and skilled youth population capable of creating employment and contributing to national development.

The NYA's National Apprenticeship Programme is being implemented in 24 skill areas to equip young people with employable skills and reduce their dependence on government employment. The first phase of this program, which began in October 2025 and is expected to conclude in September 2026, will provide trainees with start-up kits to establish their own businesses.

The NYA is also promoting healthy lifestyles among young people through education on the dangers of substance abuse. Nana Ama Obuobi-Donkor, Acting Greater Accra Regional Population Officer of the NPC, noted that population challenges in the Greater Accra Region require the active involvement of traditional authorities, community leaders, and other stakeholders.