There are 1.5 million youth that are not enrolled in school, employment, or training.
The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has revealed in a worrying revelation information on the country’s young people’s job and educational status in its monthly press release. The Annual Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2022 Third Quarter Labour Statistics Report states that during the third quarter of 2022, 1.5 million people in Ghana between the ages of 15 and 24 were not enrolled in school, employed, or in training (NEET).
The statistics show that 24.2% of the population, or one in every four young individuals in this age range, were not taking advantage of educational and employment opportunities during the stipulated time.
Over half of the youth NEET population was located in the Greater Accra, Ashanti, Eastern, and Central areas. Greater Accra had the highest number of NEETs with 312,394 people, closely followed by Ashanti with 300,161 people. youth
Additionally, it was discovered that more than 20% of young people between the ages of 15 and 24 were not enrolled in any type of training, job, or education in 13 of the 16 regions. With a ratio over twice that of the Bono Region, which reported the lowest proportion at 14.5%, the Eastern Region had the largest percentage of disengaged young. youth
The GSS also highlighted data from the 2021 Population and Housing Census (PHC), which showed that 1.4 million young people, or 11.1% of people aged 15 to 24, had never attended school. In this age group, a slightly higher proportion of females (12.0%) than boys (10.2%) had never attended school.
More over 20% of young people in the Savannah, North East, Northern, Upper West, and Oti regions have never attended school. Nearly half (665,508) of all young people who had never attended formal education resided in these five regions. youth
The census also showed that the unemployment rate for people aged 15 to 24 was 32.8%, with females facing a higher rate of unemployment than males (29.3%). Twelve of the sixteen regions had unemployment rates above 30% for this age group, with the Upper West Region leading with 39.0% and the Western North behind closely at 38.4%. youth
This information was made public on July 15, which is World Youth Skills Day, a day set aside to highlight the need of preparing young people for employment, respectable labor, and entrepreneurship. This year’s theme, “skilling teachers, trainers, and Youth for a transformative future,” emphasizes the significance of offering top-notch educational and professional development opportunities to enable children to take control of their destinies.
Table of Contents
About Author
