The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), Sammy Gyamfi, has urged African governments, businesses and the global diaspora to invest more deliberately in the continent’s youthful population, warning that Africa’s demographic advantage could become a crisis if opportunities are not created.

Addressing participants at the EMY Africa – Africa Rising Symposium in London on Thursday, July 30, Mr Gyamfi described Africa’s young population as one of its greatest assets, saying the continent’s future would depend largely on how effectively it equips and empowers its youth.

Citing the Mastercard Foundation’s Africa Youth Employment Outlook 2026, he noted that Africa is home to about 532 million young people between the ages of 15 and 35, with that number expected to continue growing over the coming decades.

“The future of our continent is young. The Mastercard Foundation’s Africa Youth Employment Outlook 2026 estimates that Africa is home to about 532 million young people aged 15 to 35, and that the continent’s youth population will continue rising through the 2070s,” he said.

Mr Gyamfi stressed that the continent’s growing youth population should be viewed as an opportunity rather than a burden, provided the right investments are made.

“If we harness the potential of this youthful population, Africa becomes the world’s next great engine of productivity and creativity. If we fail them, then what ought to be a demographic advantage may well become a demographic crisis, expressed through high unemployment, migration without dignity, social unrest, and the loss of confidence in the African promise,” he warned.

According to him, the biggest obstacle confronting many young Africans is not a lack of talent but limited access to opportunities, finance and mentorship.

“The tragedy today is that too many young Africans lack pathways to productive work and capital. Too many are trained for economies that have not expanded fast enough. Too many find themselves in societies where capital, mentorship and opportunity are scarce.”

Mr Gyamfi insisted that Africa’s youth do not require sympathy but practical support that enables them to thrive.

“But the African youth does not need pity. The African youth needs access; access to skills, financing, credit, markets, technology, mentorship, and institutions that reward effort. The diaspora can help unlock all of these,” he stated.

He therefore called on Africans living abroad to play a greater role in mentoring young entrepreneurs, investing in productive businesses and sharing expertise acquired overseas to help create sustainable employment across the continent.

Mr Gyamfi said empowering Africa’s youth through education, enterprise and investment would be critical to ensuring that the continent’s anticipated economic rise translates into improved livelihoods for millions of people.