President John Dramani Mahama has warned that Africa’s rapidly growing youth population could become a ticking time bomb if governments do not create jobs more swiftly. Speaking during a panel discussion at a Public-Private Partnership Dialogue as part of the ongoing TICAD conference in Japan, Mahama emphasized that traditional sectors like agriculture and manufacturing alone cannot absorb the millions of young people entering the job market each year.
He highlighted emerging sectors such as the creative industry, renewable energy, and digital startups, which are generating employment at a faster rate than the conventional economy. Mahama urged African governments to invest more in these areas. He stated, “The creative sector and youth startups are adding jobs faster than traditional sectors. For instance, renewable energy can create about four jobs for every one job generated in agriculture or manufacturing.”
“So investing in that sector means that we can absorb more of the myriad of young people who are coming out of school. If we decide to concentrate on manufacturing and industry, Africa needs to create about 12 to 15 million jobs per year.
“You cannot create that in agriculture, manufacturing, and industry alone, but the rate at which the creatives and digital space add jobs is much faster than the traditional economy.
“It is a place that we must invest as governments in order that we can absorb more of the youth,” President Mahama said.
By: Akosua Otchere
