The World Bank has emphasised that Ghana’s long-term economic prosperity will depend largely on its ability to create jobs for young people and facilitate a smooth transition from education into productive employment.
The call was made at the 2026 Africa West and Central Youth Forum on Jobs held in Accra on Monday, where stakeholders discussed strategies for addressing youth unemployment and promoting inclusive economic growth across the continent.
Speaking at the forum, Michelle Keane, Operations Manager for Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone at the World Bank, said Ghana’s growth trajectory would be shaped by how effectively young people are integrated into the workforce.
“Here in Ghana, this conversation is very relevant. The country’s growth trajectory will largely depend on how successful young people transition from education into productive employment, from ideas to enterprises and from ambition into concrete opportunity,” she said.
Ms Keane noted that young Ghanaians are already demonstrating strong entrepreneurial potential, particularly through small-scale businesses. However, she stressed that the scale of the youth employment challenge requires urgent and coordinated action.
She called for stronger collaboration between government and the private sector to help transform youth-led enterprises into sustainable and growth-oriented businesses.
According to her, youth unemployment is not only a Ghanaian challenge but a broader African issue, warning that the continent’s rapidly expanding youth population could become an economic burden if adequate opportunities are not created.
Addressing the forum under the theme, “Youth Works, Africa Thrives,” Ms Keane said discussions focused on how to create sustainable employment opportunities for young people and whether existing institutions, policies and investments are aligned with their aspirations.
She highlighted Ghana’s entrepreneurial culture, expanding digital ecosystem and growing small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) sector as important foundations for economic transformation.
However, she pointed to World Bank research showing that many SMEs face significant barriers to growth and productivity, including limited access to finance, weak market linkages, skills shortages, inadequate mentorship and restricted access to digital tools.
Ms Keane urged policymakers to place entrepreneurship, SMEs and youth-led innovation at the centre of Ghana’s economic development agenda, arguing that they hold significant potential to drive large-scale job creation.
“These are not peripheral issues but central to Ghana’s economic recovery and inclusive growth,” she said.
She further disclosed that the World Bank is supporting Ghana through a range of initiatives focused on human capital development, education and skills training, digital connectivity, business environment reforms and the economic inclusion of women and young people.
Among the interventions is a US$3 million World Bank-supported programme aimed at ending the double-track system in senior high schools while improving skills development for students transitioning into higher education and the labour market.
Ms Keane also noted that the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-sector arm of the World Bank Group, is working with financial institutions and businesses to expand access to finance, strengthen SMEs and support job creation.
She concluded by calling for stronger alignment between public policy, investment and entrepreneurship, stressing that sustainable solutions to youth unemployment will depend on coordinated action across those areas.
According to the World Bank, ensuring that young people can successfully move from education into employment remains critical to Ghana’s economic recovery, competitiveness and long-term inclusive growth.
