On 2 September 2026, the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment (MYDE) hosted a strategic dialogue with policy analysts from the IMANI Center for Policy and Education at its Accra headquarters. The meeting focused on the ministry’s 2026‑2029 medium‑term priorities, institutional structure and programme delivery.
IMANI’s team, led by Founding President and CEO Franklin Cudjoe, included Vice‑President Evans Selorm Branttie, Research Assistant Ransford Brobbey, Writer Kay Codjoe and technology expert John Sitsofe Mensah Mensah. The group opened with a presentation of the ministry’s achievements before turning to a critical assessment of fiscal constraints, programme conversion metrics, industrial aggregation and public health risks affecting Ghana’s youth.
Analysts highlighted a stark gap between policy ambitions and the ministry’s budget of GHS 1.6 billion. Of that, roughly GHS 1.1 billion is earmarked for economic transition programmes, with nearly GHS 1.0 billion consumed by National Service Authority personnel allowances. This leaves limited discretionary capital for enterprise modules. IMANI urged the ministry to tap corporate social investment portfolios of multinational manufacturing and beverage firms, and to establish a dedicated statutory youth funding mechanism.
The review of the flagship Adwumawura Programme revealed that its current reach of 54,000 beneficiaries—about 200 per district across 261 MMDAs—is inadequate for Ghana’s structural unemployment levels. IMANI recommended shifting from isolated artisan equipment distribution to cooperative enterprise models, aggregating beneficiaries into shared mini‑manufacturing hubs that offer pooled machinery, reliable utilities and unified procurement. MYDE confirmed plans to convert ten National Youth Authority resource centres into light‑industrial parks, with two already complete.
IMANI pressed for longitudinal tracking of programme outcomes, noting that while 14,000 youths are enrolled in the National Apprenticeship Programme and thousands receive enterprise grants, the ministry lacks data on how many transition into sustainable self‑employment, formal tax‑paying roles and SSNIT contributions. MYDE announced a centralised digital “Youth Tracker” to monitor beneficiaries across all state agencies, prevent duplicate enrolments and provide empirical evidence of long‑term multiplier effects.
Structural bottlenecks in the education‑to‑work pipeline were also discussed. Participants observed that domestic contractors import artisan labour from neighbouring West African nations due to perceived deficits in reliability and work ethic, not technical skill. To counter this, the ministry will launch a “TVET First‑Choice” campaign in partnership with the Commission for TVET and the Design & Technology Institute to destigmatisise vocational education. IMANI suggested integrating applied AI literacy into non‑formal training modules to enhance job relevance and position Ghana as a continental leader in tech‑enabled vocational skilling.
The dialogue concluded with a review of the YouthXplore app, a new civic‑engagement platform. While acknowledging its potential, IMANI identified the need for greater user adoption and data integration with the proposed Youth Tracker to fully realise its democratic inclusion goals.
Next steps will see MYDE refine its fiscal strategy, expand cooperative enterprise infrastructure and implement the Youth Tracker, with IMANI offering technical support and monitoring expertise.
