A report by Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), has shown that during the third quarter of 2022, 24.2% of young individuals aged between 15 and 24 years were not involved in education, employment, or training. This percentage translates to approximately 1.5 million individuals within that age group.
This information is detailed in a statement released by the GSS as part of the Annual Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2022 Third Quarter Labour Statistics Report, which was provided to the Ghana News Agency.
“More than half of the youth NEET are in the Greater Accra (312,394), Ashanti (300,161), Eastern (131,341), and Central (129,182) regions.
” In 13 out of the 16 regions, more than 20 per cent of young persons, 15 to 24 years were not in education, employment, or training.
“Eastern Region (30.0 per cent) has the highest proportion of youth, with a figure about twice that of Bono Region (14.5 per cent) which has the lowest proportion,” the report said.
According to the 2021 Population and Housing Census, approximately 11.1% of individuals aged 15 to 24 years, amounting to 1.4 million young people, have never attended school.
The report highlights that a slightly higher percentage of females (12.0%) in this age group have never attended school compared to males (10.2%). The regions with the highest percentages of young people who have never attended school are Savannah (43.4%), North East (36.8%), Northern (33.3%), Upper West (20.9%), and Oti (20.7%). Combined, these five regions account for nearly half (665,508) of the young individuals who have never attended school.
The census data also reveals an unemployment rate of 32.8% for individuals aged 15 to 24 years, with females experiencing a higher rate of 36.7% compared to males at 29.3%. The unemployment rate for this age group exceeds 30% in 12 out of the 16 regions, with the Upper West Region (39.0%) and Western North (38.4%) having the highest rates.
This statement coincides with the celebration of World Youth Skills Day, observed annually on July 15th, which highlights the importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work, and entrepreneurship.