Former Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has cautioned that Africa’s rapidly growing youth population could become a major challenge if the continent fails to create sufficient opportunities for young people.
Speaking at the Africa Business Forum 2025 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, President Mahama stressed the urgent need for African nations to focus on value addition to their abundant natural resources as a key strategy for tackling high youth unemployment rates.
Maximizing Ghana’s Cocoa Potential
Using Ghana’s cocoa industry as an example, Mahama highlighted the country’s untapped potential to process 500,000 tonnes of cocoa annually. However, he noted that current processing levels stand at just 200,000 tonnes, largely due to policies by COCOBOD, Ghana’s cocoa regulatory body.
“We have the capacity to process almost 500,000 tonnes of cocoa, but we are not processing that much. We are only processing about 200,000 tonnes because COCOBOD, which needs restructuring, prioritizes immediate foreign exchange from trading raw cocoa beans. They sell forward and receive money in advance before even exporting a single bean.”
Mahama argued that increasing local processing would not only create jobs but also stimulate the economy, especially in cocoa-growing communities.
“Bringing value addition home means bringing jobs back, so that our young people can find employment. That’s why we are excited about the Ghana-Côte d’Ivoire initiative. Together, we produce about 80% of the world’s cocoa, and by coordinating efforts, we can improve production and create more jobs for our young people.”
His remarks underscored the importance of regional cooperation and industrialization as solutions to Africa’s unemployment crisis, urging African leaders to prioritize policies that empower youth and drive sustainable economic growth.