The Ghana Youth Federation (GYF) warmly congratulates His Excellency John Dramani Mahama on his recognition as the 5th most influential figure in global development on the 2026 Devex Power 50 list, published by Devex, a respected international development publication.
This recognition reflects President Mahama’s continued relevance in global development discourse, particularly his advocacy on Africa’s role in shaping future development frameworks, development financing reforms, and initiatives such as the Accra Reset agenda. It places Ghana’s leadership at the centre of important international conversations at a time when global development cooperation and financing models are undergoing rapid change.
For Ghana’s youth, however, this moment carries significance beyond international prestige.
Young people constitute the largest demographic group in Ghana, yet they remain disproportionately affected by unemployment, underemployment, and limited access to productive economic opportunities. Data from the Ghana Statistical Service indicates that youth unemployment remains substantially higher than the national average, with unemployment rates exceeding 30 per cent among persons aged 15–24, and more than one in five young people not in employment, education, or training. These trends highlight persistent structural challenges within labour markets, education systems, and skills pipelines.
This reality underscores a simple but urgent message: global influence must translate into domestic impact.
While Ghana has made progress toward macroeconomic stabilisation and improved growth prospects, the benefits of these gains must be felt more tangibly by young people seeking decent work, relevant skills, and viable pathways into entrepreneurship and innovation. Without deliberate, coordinated, and adequately financed youth-focused interventions, the country risks underutilising its most important long-term asset.
In welcoming President Mahama’s global recognition, the Ghana Youth Federation calls on government, development partners, the private sector, and civil society to leverage this moment of international visibility to:
- Scale targeted youth employment programmes that directly link technical, vocational, and digital skills training to real labour-market demand.
- Address regional disparities and skills mismatches that constrain youth mobility and access to decent work across the country.
- Strengthen support for youth entrepreneurship and innovation, including improved access to finance, technology, business development services, and markets.
- Ensure predictable and transparent financing for youth-centred agencies and initiatives, allowing programmes to move beyond pilots to achieve national scale and impact.
- Improve labour-market data and accountability systems to guide policy decisions and consistently measure outcomes across regions and sectors.
This international recognition should not be an end in itself. It should serve as a catalyst for measurable progress that uplifts Ghana’s youth and ensures that they are not only influential voices in global development conversations, but empowered contributors to Ghana’s socio-economic transformation at home.
The Ghana Youth Federation stands ready to work with all stakeholders to translate this moment into lasting opportunity for young Ghanaians.
