Ghana must sustain investment in youth skills, reproductive health, and drug-abuse prevention to harness its demographic dividend, stakeholders have said.   

They said coordinated interventions were needed to address unemployment, population pressures, inadequate reproductive health services, and substance abuse, which could undermine the benefits of a growing youth population.   

A representative of the Regional Director of the National Youth Authority (NYA), William Nortey, made the call during activities to mark the 2026 World Population Day on the theme "Investing in Ghana’s Future through Healthy, Skilled, and Empowered Young People.”   

The event brought together representatives of the NYA, National Population Council (NPC), and Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) to examine challenges affecting young people and strategies for building a healthy, skilled, and productive population.   

Mr Nortey said the country’s future depended on a healthy and skilled youth population capable of creating employment and contributing meaningfully to national development.   

He said the NYA’s National Apprenticeship Programme was being implemented in 24 skill areas to equip young people with employable skills and reduce their dependence on government employment.   

Mr Nortey said the first phase of the programme, which started in October 2025 and was expected to end in September 2026, would provide trainees with start-up kits to establish their own businesses after completing their training.   

He said the NYA was also implementing programmes to promote healthy lifestyles among young people, including education on the dangers of substance abuse.   

Mr Nortey said empowering young people with skills and ideas would create a brighter future by enabling them to become productive and self-reliant.   

Acting Greater Accra Regional Population Officer of the NPC,Nana Ama Obuobi-Donkor, said population challenges in the Greater Accra Region required the active involvement of traditional authorities, community leaders, and other stakeholders.   

She identified unemployment, overcrowded classrooms, and inadequate access to reproductive health services as major challenges that could undermine efforts to harness the demographic dividend.   

Mrs Obuobi-Donkor said rapid migration into the Greater Accra Region was putting pressure on available employment opportunities, while overcrowding in some schools affected the quality of education and skills development.   

She called for improved access to reproductive health information and services for young people, noting that misconceptions about family planning continued to prevent some young people from seeking appropriate services.   

Mrs Obuobi-Donkor urged health workers to adopt a more accommodating and tolerant approach towards young people seeking reproductive health services, saying they should provide accurate information without making them feel unwelcome.   

She said the NPC integrated population variables into development planning from the national to regional and district levels to ensure that population dynamics informed policy and resource allocation.   

Senior Narcotics Control Officer of NACOC Sandra Thompson warned that substance abuse posed a serious threat to efforts to build a healthy and productive youth population.   

She said education and prevention were critical in addressing drug abuse among young people and cautioned against peer pressure, curiosity, and the misuse of substances, including shisha and prescription medicines.   

Mrs Thompson urged young people to make informed choices and resist influences that could expose them to substance abuse, saying the country’s demographic dividend could only be achieved when young people were healthy, skilled, and empowered.