Official at Conference of Bishops in Ghana Proposes Skills Training for Youths to Tame Imminent Violent Extremism

Accra, 19 July, 2025 / 8:00 PM

The Secretary General of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) has proposed the creation of job opportunities for youths in the West African nation, noting that youth unemployment is “a very realistic security threat” in the country.

In his Tuesday, July 15 speech during a forum that GCBC’s Governance, Justice, and Peace Directorate (GJPD) organized, Fr. Clement Kwasi Adjei warned that the growing youth unemployment in Ghana could lead to violent extremism.

“Youth unemployment is a very realistic security threat. And if violent extremism is going to hit us, it's going to be domestic violent extremism. And it will come from land, chieftaincy, and other political disturbances that youth are mobilized,” Fr. Kwasi said at the Sahel Peace Initiative (SPI) National Forum that was held at Christ the King Accra Parish Hall.

The Catholic Priest who has a background in law emphasized the Catholic social teachings about decent work, urging Ghanaian leaders to support youths, especially those involved in drugs and “treacherous work.”

“When you see the young people who are doing the treacherous work, going down into those mines… the medications they are taking, if we don't do something in the next 10, 15 years, young people aged 15 to 35 will be wiped out. Unemployment security risk is a reality,” he said.

The GJPD of Ghana’s National Catholic Secretariat (NCS) organized the SPI forum to address challenges of youth unemployment in  the Sahel region under the theme, “Political Economy of Conflicts in Ghana: Addressing Youth Unemployment as a Catalyst for Security and Social Cohesion.”

Fr. Kwasi underscored the need for entrepreneurial training of the youths in Ghana, noting that most young people in the country are computer literate, and that the Ghanaian government can only employ a few.

“Young people need training in entrepreneurial skills. The problem is that the government is not a business entity,” the Ghanaian Catholic Priest said, and added, “The government can only employ a limited number of people.”

The GCBC Secretary General encouraged faith-based organizations in the country to create faith-driven entrepreneurship hubs to boost the efforts of the government in creating opportunities for the youths.

He urged faith-based institutions to not only guide young people spiritually but also economically. “To be able to do this, faith-based organizations have to change their mentality. Spirituality and money are not opposed to each other,” he said.

The Catholic Priest further urged youths to embrace farming and other manual jobs to curb the unemployment crisis in the West African nation. He also highlighted some of the causes of youth unemployment in Ghana, including lack of patience in businesses.

Fr. Kwasi also challenged the Ghanaian government to implement an education system that not only trains learners on theory but also on practical skills to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

The Catholic Priest denounced parents and guardians, who discourage their children from learning skills such as business and farming skills, especially when they are at the age of self-development, looking for direction and mentorship.

Fr. Kwasi also noted that most young people drop out of businesses because they lack patience in making money. He said, “Business is not something you start today, and then tomorrow you become rich. Many of us think that you start a business today, and tomorrow you make it.”

Speaking at the same event, the DGJP Director at the NCS urged those responsible for youth employment in Ghana to collaborate with the Church, noting that the Church is always ready to work with other entities in tackling societal challenges.

“We must find a way of engaging the people who are necessary to make sure that solutions are found,” Fr. Michael Kobina Ackon Quaicoe said in his closing remarks during the one-day event.