The Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment, George Opare Addo Esq. has announced plans to increase the deployment of National Service personnel to Ghana’s private sector, citing limited capacity within the public sector.
The Minister, delivering his address at Day 1 of the National Youth Conference, revealed that national service personnel who practice their national service duties in public sector establishments are rarely employed after their service in contrast to those who practice their service in private sector companies. “National Service personnel who work with the government agencies spends between 4-10 years before finding employment and those who go through the private sector, spends a minimum of 1-3 years to find a job.”
He explained that the shift is on account of how saturated the government agencies are and cannot continue to absorb the growing number of young people seeking opportunities within public institutions, making greater private-sector participation necessary. “In the coming days, a lot of our service personnel will not be posted to the government sector anymore. We intend to push many more service personnel into the private sector, where the jobs are. Because we all know that the government sector is choked and there are no jobs in there.”
Speaking on the government’s youth employment agenda, the Minister stressed the need to create stronger links between young people and private businesses to provide practical work opportunities and pathways into long-term employment through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalize the partnership.
The Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment is commemorating International Youth Day 2026 under Ghana’s national theme, “Rebuilding Values, Inspiring Patriotism: Empowering the Youth in the Digital Age.” The theme complements the global theme, “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations,” and seeks to highlight the shared aspirations of young people across different backgrounds. The Ministry says the commemoration will focus on rebuilding positive values, strengthening patriotism and equipping young people with digital skills and opportunities to thrive. It also calls for stronger collaboration among government, the private sector, development partners, civil society and educational institutions to create an enabling environment for young people