This was contained in the National Youth Study, a research conducted by the Centre for Policy Research, in partnership with Youth Network for Human Rights and Democracy (You-net), with support from Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES Ghana).

Launching the report in Accra last Friday, the Director of You-net, Mr Prosper Hoetu, said the consensus among the youth interviewed for the study was that people gained employment largely due to their connections with people in high places and those with the capacity to employ.

The respondents, he explained, were also of the view that majority of the policies that affected the youth had no input from the youth.

“Young people are not really engaged in decision-making processes. For a functional democracy, it is important the youth, who constitute majority of the population, are consulted when decisions are being taken especially on issues affecting them,” he said.

The study was done through discussions with 10 focus groups made up of 79 respondents in five constituencies in the Greater Accra Region.

Youth perceptions on governance

Other highlights of the report included the fact that the political class did not really think about the general interest of the country but rather their selfish interest and that of their cronies.

They also bemoaned the discontinuation of government projects and policies by successive governments as a major bane on development.

Education

The report stated that the general assertion about education among the youth was that there was no value for money, especially with regard to tuition and available educational facilities. Parents were forced to resort to paying exorbitant fees for extra tuition to get quality education for their wards. Some courses were irrelevant, according to some respondents, and should be taken out of the educational curriculum and replaced with much more practical courses so that the youth could acquire more hands-on experiences.

Unemployment

The educational system in Ghana, as expressed by the youth, was said to also contribute to the unemployment situation in the country. They maintained that the educational system prioritised theoretically oriented education over the technical training and entrepreneurial skills of the youth.

Migration

The common reason espoused by respondents as being the push factor for migrating from one place to another was the unemployment situation at one’s current location. The desire to pursue higher education and exposure were some of the reasons the youth migrated.