Obuasi: Angry youth demonstrate over unemployment

The protest is aimed at pressuring President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's administration to do more to create jobs for the youth and bring down living costs in the country.

Some of the jobless youth who demonstrated said they have really been struggling to make ends meet since they completed tertiary education.

Wearing red-armed bands, marching through the principal streets of Obuasi, the angry youth from mining communities said: "We are hungry and need jobs".

The leader of the demonstration, Emmanuel Kofi Ayamga said they were engaged in community mining but Anglo Gold Ashanti, a mining company, stopped them.

He indicated that even though the mining company is located in the area, it does not employ them.

The youth, however, did not only deliver a petition to the Anglo Gold Ashanti to employ them but to the Municipal and District Chief Executives in the area to intervene.

They also demanded the release of abandoned land located at Keaneduakrom to them for rock mining.

Meanwhile, Ghana's youth unemployment rate currently stands at 1,140,009.

The youth unemployment rate of Ghana was 19.7%, estimated to be 1,140,009, Andrew Ameckson, a Chief Accountant at the Ministry of Finance has said.

Speaking at an extensive public engagement on the YouStart Programme, he indicated that the YouStart programme was anticipated to create 1 million jobs, out of which 800,000 were expected to be direct jobs to the Ghanaian youth.

He further added that, the YouStart was a national programme and that eligible applicants would be given the opportunity and support to contribute their quota to the development of the country.

He gave some facts and figures on the youth population in the country and stated that the overall youth population in Ghana from 15 to 35 age range was 11.7 million and the youth unemployment rate was 19.7%, estimated to be 1,140,009. The unemployed females were 22.3% estimated to be 605,451 and unemployed males were 17.4% estimated to be 534,558.