Ghana’s looming graduate unemployment crisis is a ticking time bomb. Over 100,000 students entered tertiary institutions in 2024, and by 2028, they’ll be joining the ranks of job seekers. KNUST alone admitted over 50,000 students for the 2024-2025 academic year, while the University of Ghana is graduating 15,750. These numbers are staggering, and they force us to confront a fundamental question: what is our national strategy for these graduates?
While there is no clear goverment policy on job creation, we can say that Ghanaian universities are contributing to creating unemployment in Ghana while the government is also failing to create the needed opportunities.
The uncomfortable truth is that we haven’t even begun to adequately plan. We’ve failed to brainstorm the implications of these massive student intakes, let alone develop concrete plans to ensure these graduates have job opportunities waiting for them. A critical gap is the lack of national-level data on student program choices and the corresponding job market demand. Do we know how many nurses, teachers, doctors, pharmacists, accountants, economists, lawyers, and finance managers will graduate between 2024 and 2028? Probably not. Without this information, how can we possibly plan for the future?
This lack of foresight leads to a predictable outcome: graduates enter a saturated job market with limited prospects. At best, they face exploitation with low-paying jobs. The National Service Scheme, intended to provide valuable experience, has become a temporary holding pen, delaying the inevitable struggle of job hunting. It’s a year-long reprieve before graduates join the mass of unemployed youth. The unemployment situation in Ghana is dire, and while precise figures are hard to come by, the anecdotal evidence is overwhelming. Youth unemployment across Africa is a well-documented crisis, often exceeding global averages, and Ghana is no exception.
Several factors contribute to this crisis, and while universities aren’t solely to blame, they play a role. One major issue is curriculum mismatch. Universities often don’t align their programs with the current needs of the job market, producing graduates with skills that are not in demand. This disconnect between academia and industry exacerbates the unemployment problem.
Another contributing factor is the lack of career guidance. Many universities lack robust career counselling and placement services, leaving students ill-prepared for the job search process and unaware of potential career paths. They graduate without a clear understanding of how to translate their education into a career.
Overemphasis on theory at the expense of practical skills is another concern. Graduates may possess theoretical knowledge but lack the hands-on experience employers seek. This makes them less employable and less competitive in the job market.
Limited industry linkages further complicate the situation. Universities often lack strong connections with businesses and industries, which limits internship opportunities and job placements. These connections are crucial for bridging the gap between education and employment.
Finally, there’s the issue of output versus demand. Universities continue to produce graduates in certain fields even when the job market is already saturated. They haven’t adapted to the changing economic landscape, leading to an oversupply of graduates in some areas and a shortage in others. In some instances the graduates and the courses they read do not match current jobs neither are institutions looking for persons with such skills.
The fact is that Ghanaian universities are contributing to creating unemployment in Ghana but they will often not accept the smallest of blames and argue that they are academic institutions.
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They may argue also that they educate people, but the system isn’t working as it should. Well, unemployment is a complex issue with multiple causes, including government policies, economic conditions, lack of investment in job creation, and global market forces. Oversimplifying the problem and placing blame solely on universities ignores these crucial factors. It’s a multi-faceted challenge that requires a multi-pronged approach. We need a national conversation that involves universities, government, industry, and students to find sustainable solutions to this growing crisis.