The Akufo-Addo Government’s Job Creation Record
Akufo-Addo led Ghana from 2017 until the transfer of power in January 2025, making job creation a central test of the New Patriotic Party’s record. Industrialisation, apprenticeship and youth employment were recurring priorities, while COVID-19 disrupted hiring and exposed the vulnerability of small firms. For Australians, the case offers a useful comparison between headline labour indicators and the quality of available work.
The Akufo-Addo Government’s Job Creation Record should therefore be judged by more than the number of people labelled unemployed. A stronger assessment asks whether new roles are productive, fairly paid, formal where workers want formality, accessible outside Accra, and sustained after a programme or subsidy ends.
What the employment data shows
According to the Ghana Statistical Service, unemployment fell from 7.9% in 2022 to 3.1% in 2023, although the survey methodology also changed. The headline is encouraging, yet unemployment excludes underemployed workers, discouraged jobseekers and people in irregular work. Ghana’s large informal sector means a low rate can coexist with insecure earnings and limited social protection.
| Indicator | Positive signal | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|
| National unemployment | The reported rate declined sharply by 2023 | Changes in methodology limit direct comparisons |
| One District One Factory | Projects gave enterprise a visible regional focus | Many businesses faced weak demand, infrastructure and management constraints |
| National Apprenticeship Service | More young people gained structured workplace training | Completion does not always lead to a permanent job |
| Youth Employment Agency placements | Tens of thousands received short-term internships | Placements cannot automatically be counted as durable employment |
| COVID-19 business support | Relief measures protected incomes and some jobs | Preservation of existing jobs is different from creating new ones |
Australian readers will recognise the measurement problem. The Australian Bureau of Statistics tracks unemployment and underemployment separately, while high housing costs in Melbourne and Sydney can make modest wages feel less secure than national figures imply. Ghana should publish comparable information on hours, earnings, informality and regional distribution rather than relying on one headline rate.
How the main job programmes performed
One District One Factory was the administration’s most recognisable employment policy. By linking credit, equipment support and enterprise development to local districts, the scheme encouraged businesses to source or employ workers closer to their operating areas. Some projects succeeded, but producing convincing evidence of sustained, net job creation across every district remained difficult.
The National Apprenticeship Service and the Ghana Jobs and Skills Accelerator introduced more practical training and job-matching models. Their emphasis on employer involvement was valuable, especially for sectors such as construction, hospitality, automotive repair and digital services. The key question was how many apprentices retained paid positions after completing their training.
The Youth Employment Agency’s internship programme also gave large numbers of young people workplace exposure and modest income. These opportunities helped households and build skills, but an internship lasting several months should not be presented as the equivalent of a permanent job. Recruitment into public services and temporary COVID-era support added further employment, though fiscal space for maintaining those gains was limited.
Where the record fell short
Factory creation alone cannot solve a demand problem. Many businesses need dependable electricity, working capital, credible customers and competent management. Where those conditions were missing, public support risks subsidising existing owners rather than producing lasting jobs. Independent evaluations of One District One Factory therefore matter more than official announcements of new facilities.
Opportunity also remained uneven. Young people, women, people with disabilities and workers outside major urban centres often faced the sharpest barriers to stable employment. Regional industrialisation should have been matched with transport, childcare, technical training and access to government procurement so that lower-income districts received actual economic activity rather than only administrative visibility.
Online gambling is another visible strand of the informal digital economy. Some publishers use online casino bonuses to attract clicks and present online activity as a flexible income opportunity, even though gambling losses and regulatory violations can outweigh earnings. Australian comparisons offer a warning: sports betting and casino rules differ across Victoria, New South Wales and other states, and promotional claims should never be treated as sound financial guidance.
Comparing Ghana with Australia
Australia’s technical colleges and apprenticeship system provide a useful model for improving Ghana’s training pathways. Melbourne employers in hospitality, construction and advanced manufacturing, for example, have experience combining workplace learning with nationally recognised qualifications. Ghana could strengthen its own system by publishing completion, placement and retention rates for each training provider.
The Ghanaian diaspora in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane already supports trade, remittances and professional networks. More structured partnerships could channel that experience into apprenticeships, mentorship and investment for Ghanaian firms. Skilled migration also offers an outlet for workers in shortage occupations, although Australia cannot treat migration as a substitute for creating adequate domestic opportunities.
Ghana’s music and creative industries provide another bridge between the two countries. Tours connecting Accra with venues in Melbourne and Brisbane create work for artists, promoters, sound engineers, caterers and media businesses. Such cultural links can support enterprise when they are backed by fair contracts, local supply chains and sustainable touring schedules.
Practical priorities for stronger job creation
The next employment cycle needs measurable commitments rather than another collection of isolated initiatives.
- Publish a consistent labour-market baseline covering unemployment, underemployment, earnings, informality and regional outcomes.
- Tie business support to verified milestones covering sales, productivity and jobs retained for at least twelve months.
- Audit apprenticeship providers by publishing completion, job-placement and wage outcomes.
- Combine SME finance with mentoring, market access and opportunities for qualified firms to supply public institutions.
- Invest in reliable power, transport and childcare in districts with limited industrial activity.
- Disaggregate results by age, gender, disability and location to identify groups being left behind.
Implementation matters as much as policy design. A factory, internship or loan should count as a success only when workers gain durable, productive employment. Independent monitoring would make it harder for publicity to replace evidence.
Watch the evidence and support better jobs
Ghana achieved measurable improvements in parts of its employment record, particularly in training access, entrepreneurship and the reported unemployment rate. The unresolved challenge was converting those opportunities into secure work, stronger businesses and evenly distributed prosperity.
Follow OkayGH for evidence-led reporting on Ghana’s economy, public policy, businesses and creative industries, and share the findings with people discussing where the next government’s employment investment should go.