President John Dramani Mahama has warned that Ghana faces rising structural unemployment because industry is not getting the technicians it needs.

He said universities continue to produce large numbers of graduates in fields that do not match current job openings.

He made the comment on Saturday, December 6, during a panel session at the Doha Forum on Economic Empowerment in Africa, Pathway to Inclusive Prosperity.

Other speakers were Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator; Khalifa Jassim Al Kuwari, Director General of the Qatar Fund for Development; and Jakaya Kikwete, former President of Tanzania and Chair of the Global Partnership for Education.

President Mahama said employers across Ghana are calling for middle-level technicians rather than graduates with high academic qualifications.

He said, “If you go and speak to captains of industry in Ghana, they are looking for middle-level technicians, more than professors and other high academic laurels.”

According to him, “We are not training them in sufficient numbers for the world of work. There are jobs looking for technicians, and yet you are producing more business administration graduates, more marketing graduates, more graduates in the humanities.”

Mr Mahama said this mismatch explains why jobs exist but remain unfilled. He described the situation as structural unemployment, where the needed skills are lacking.

In line with Mahama’s call for expanded technical and vocational training, the National Apprenticeship Programme (NAP), launched in April, provides practical skills training 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 places for women and persons with disabilities.

Mr Mahama said the country must also prepare young people for the digital economy.

He said, “The information we have is that by 2030, there are going to be 230 million digital jobs in Africa. We have to equip our young people with the skills to be able to take advantage of that.”

He warned that youth without skills face social risks. He said, “We have so many young people ready to be hired, to be rented by bad guys, the drug people, the terrorists, and all these criminals.”

Mr Mahama said Ghana needs stronger technical, vocational, and digital training so young people are ready for available jobs and can build stable livelihoods.