President John Dramani Mahama has warned that Ghana is facing rising structural unemployment due to a mismatch between the skills graduates possess and industry’s needs.

Speaking on Saturday, December 6, at the Doha Forum on Economic Empowerment in Africa: Pathway to Inclusive Prosperity, President Mahama highlighted that universities continue to produce large numbers of graduates in fields that do not align with current job openings.

“Employers across Ghana are calling for middle-level technicians rather than graduates with high academic qualifications,” he said. “If you speak to captains of industry in Ghana, they are looking for technicians more than professors and other high academic laurels.”

President Mahama explained that while jobs exist, many remain unfilled because graduates lack the practical skills required. “We are not training enough for the world of work. There are jobs looking for technicians, yet we are producing more business administration, marketing, and humanities graduates,” he noted.

President Mahama also stressed the importance of preparing young people for the digital economy.

“By 2030, there are expected to be 230 million digital jobs in Africa. We must equip our youth with the skills to take advantage of that,” he said.

He warned that unskilled youth are at risk of being exploited by criminal elements.

“We have many young people ready to be hired by bad actors—drug traffickers, terrorists, and other criminals,” he said.

Mahama concluded that stronger technical, vocational, and digital training is critical to ensuring Ghanaian youth are ready for available jobs and can build stable livelihoods.

In support of technical and vocational training, the National Apprenticeship Programme (NAP), launched in April, offers practical skills development in carpentry, plumbing, auto mechanics, agro-processing, tailoring, and electrical work.

The programme currently targets 10,000 apprentices across all 261 districts, with plans to scale up to 100,000 annually, including reserved slots for women and persons with disabilities.