One of the most pressing challenges of today’s world, particularly in sub-Sahara Africa is unemployment. This growing global challenge, mainly among the youth, is frustrating and requires practical and immediate policies to resolve. The absence of policies and programmes to resolve rising youth unemployment could turn this potential human resources for development into agents of destruction and bring all development works to a standstill. The World Bank (2018) claims that this situation of unemployment in the regions (Africa and Middle East particularly) could results in risky behaviors including involvement in crime, youth uprising and unnecessary demonstrations and other social vices as has been witnessed in some North Africa and Middle East countries (World Bank, 2007), the effect of which may not be pleasant for the countries concerned. The current study, therefore, aims to access youth employment opportunities in rural economies of Ghana. The study used both primary and secondary data to analyse the effectiveness and efficiency of youth employment initiatives and the factors influencing youth employment. Questionnaires were administered to 662 respondents, and Key Informant Interviews were also carried out. The results showed that majority of the youth employment programme beneficiaries were women, yet this social group have high unequal access to education as compared to their male counterparts. The study empirically estimated and analysed the factors that affect youth employment. The study found out that participation in youth employment programme, marital status, participation in youth entrepreneurial and development programme, educational level, and age were the statistically significant factors affecting youth employment.

Published as FARA Research Report Volume 5 No: 9 (2020).