KOFI ANOKYE OWUSU-DARKO (BLOG2)

  INTRODUCTION Ghana’s unemployment crisis is a structural one, stemming from an economy that inherently lacks the capacity to create sufficient employment opportunities to absorb the large number of people entering the labour force each year. An analysis of the labour market, based on the 2017 Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS) and the 2023 Annual Household Income and Expenditure Survey (AHIES) , indicates that between 2017 and 2023, the economy could, on average, absorb less than 45% of new labour market entrants annually. This means that over 55% of those joining the labour market each year became unemployed, causing the number of unemployed individuals to rise from 1 million in 2017 to more than 2 million in 2023 . This structural problem requires a structural solution and underscores the urgent need for a transformative job creation strategy.   Figure 1: The unemployment crisis in Ghana (source: GSS Annual Household Income & Expenditure   Survey – Q...

  INTRODUCTION Aspire 24 is a bold and forward-thinking initiative to be introduced by the NDC, designed to reshape Ghana’s socio-economic landscape by focusing on several key thematic areas: Mindset and Work Ethic Transformation , Digital Intelligence Skills Development , Multilingual Competence Development , Vocational and Technical Skills for Key Sectors , Workforce Skills Upscaling , and Business Support Services . These strategic pillars aim to equip the workforce with the skills and growth mindset necessary to compete and thrive in a fast-changing global economy. A critical component of Aspire 24 is the Mindset and Work Ethic Transformation Framework , which seeks to reset mindsets and drive excellence within Ghana’s workforce by instilling a culture of national pride , responsibility, accountability, ethical behaviour and professionalism across all sectors. This framework emphasises the need for a national mindset shift to catalyse growth and productivity, fostering qua...