The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has called on President John Dramani Mahama to take urgent steps to address Ghana’s rising unemployment, describing it as a growing threat to national stability.
He said the scale of joblessness, especially among young people, can no longer be ignored.
“We are all aware of the unemployment situation in this nation. Unemployment is a major issue in the country. It is a national concern, and the President should take a keen interest in this critical issue,” he said at the 59th Congregation of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) on Saturday, November 29.
Otumfuo noted that the gravity of the problem prompted him to raise it during recent engagements with the German President and Ambassador, where he appealed for support for Ghana’s small and medium-scale enterprises.
He said investment in SMEs remains essential for sustainable job creation.
Turning to higher education, the Asantehene highlighted the strain on teaching and learning at KNUST due to staff shortages.
Citing findings from the Ghana Education Commission’s five-year review, he warned that the lecturer-student ratio has become increasingly unfavourable.
“The situation places a heavy strain on our dedicated lecturers and threatens the quality of education we provide,” he said, urging the government to grant financial clearance for additional academic and administrative recruitment.
