Aaron Kumah warns of national crisis over two million unemployed youth

Dr. Aaron Kumah, a prominent labour expert, has issued a stark warning regarding Ghana’s escalating youth unemployment figures, characterizing the situation as a "ticking bomb" that could trigger a national crisis. His assessment follows the release of the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) labour data for the third quarter of 2025, which highlights that a significant portion of the country's younger workforce remains idle. Kumah emphasized that the current trajectory poses a severe threat to social stability and long-term economic growth if not addressed with urgency.

The GSS report reveals that nearly two million young Ghanaians between the ages of 15 and 35 are currently neither employed nor involved in any form of education or training. This demographic represents a substantial segment of the nation’s productive potential that is effectively being sidelined. According to Kumah, these figures represent more than just economic statistics; they reflect a growing sense of frustration among the youth who find themselves without viable paths for professional or personal development. The high concentration of individuals outside both the workforce and the classroom indicates a significant mismatch between available opportunities and the needs of the population.

In his analysis, Dr. Kumah noted that the persistence of such high unemployment rates among the youth creates a fertile ground for social unrest and other systemic challenges. He argued that when millions of young people are excluded from the formal economy and lack access to educational advancement, the state faces increased risks related to security and social cohesion. The "ticking bomb" analogy serves as a call to action for stakeholders to move beyond rhetoric and implement structural reforms that can absorb the growing number of entrants into the job market.

Looking forward, the labour expert suggested that addressing this crisis will require a multi-faceted approach involving targeted investments and incentives for industries that can provide large-scale employment. Without a decisive intervention to integrate these two million young people into the economy, the potential for a full-blown national crisis remains a looming reality. The data serves as a critical benchmark for evaluating the effectiveness of current labour policies as the nation moves through the final months of 2025.