Nearly two million young people in Ghana were not in employment, education or training in the third quarter of 2025, according to the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).

The figure highlights the challenges facing the country’s youth population, with many young people neither working nor acquiring formal education or skills to improve their employment prospects.

Data from the GSS publication Ghana in Numbers, 2025 show that the proportion of young people aged 15 to 35 who were not in education, employment or training (NEET) averaged 17.9% in the first three quarters of 2025.

The situation was more pronounced in the third quarter, when nearly two million young people fell within the category. Women accounted for more than 60% of this group, pointing to a significant gender gap in access to employment, education and training opportunities.

The figures also show differences across geographical areas, with the NEET rate among young people in urban communities standing at 20.6%, compared with 18% in rural areas.

The Central Region recorded the highest regional rate at 25.3 %, suggesting that a larger proportion of its young population was outside employment, education or training during the period.

The findings come against the background of Ghana's growing youth population, which stood at about 12 million in 2025, representing roughly one in every three people in the country.

Meanwhile, youth unemployment remains a major concern. The GSS reported that unemployment among people aged 15 to 35 averaged 21.9 % in the first three quarters of 2025, higher than the national average of 12.8 %. Among those aged 15 to 24, the unemployment rate was even higher at 32.4 %.

The NEET and unemployment figures measure different groups. While unemployment focuses on people without work who are available and seeking employment, the NEET category also captures young people who are not actively seeking work and those who are outside both education and training.

The figures underline the need for measures that expand employment opportunities while improving young people's access to education, vocational training and skills development.

Meanwhile, President John Dramani Mahama says the government will commit US$2 billion annually to nine sectors of the economy over the next five years as part of efforts to tackle unemployment and create more jobs.

The proposed investment, which will amount to US$10 billion, will be implemented under the government’s New Economy Policy, expected to be outlined by the Finance Minister during the presentation of the 2027 Budget.

The initiative will focus on productive sectors, including textiles and garments, agriculture and agribusiness, pharmaceuticals and tourism, which the government believes can support industrial growth and create employment opportunities.

President Mahama said the programme would be financed with domestic resources rather than borrowed funds.

“When the Minister presents the 2027 Budget, he is going to announce what we call the New Economy Policy. The policy has selected nine areas, or nine pillars, in which the government is going to invest about US$2 billion every year for five years. That is a total of US$10 billion,” he said.

“As I have said, this is our own money. We are not going to borrow money for the New Economy Policy.”

The President announced the plan during a courtesy call by chiefs from the Western North Region, where he outlined measures to strengthen the economy and expand employment through industrialisation and private-sector development.

He said the economy was recovering from the debt default and economic crisis inherited by his administration when it assumed office on January 7, 2025.

According to him, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had projected Ghana’s economy to grow by 5.7 per cent, exceeding the average forecast of about four per cent for sub-Saharan Africa.