Mahama Speaks: Government Targets 100,000 Apprentices, 27,000 New Factory Jobs

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Mahama Pushes Youth Employment, Industrial Expansion, Mining Reform, and Housing Development in Major National Reset Drive

Government Targets 100,000 Apprentices, 27,000 New Factory Jobs, and Stronger Illegal Mining Enforcement

President John Dramani Mahama has outlined an ambitious national transformation agenda focusing on youth empowerment, industrialization, mining reform, and housing development as part of Ghana’s long-term economic reset strategy. Delivering the State of the Nation Address, the President emphasized that youth development and job creation remain the foundation of government policy.

Youth Employment Expansion and Skills Development

The government is scaling up youth training and employment programs to address unemployment.

Key initiatives include:

Training 10,887 youth in 2025 under the Ejumira entrepreneurship program
An additional 10,000 youth trained in 2026
Expansion of the National Apprenticeship Program

The National Apprenticeship Program will target:

100,000 young people annually

Previously, 14,000 apprentices completed pilot training and began receiving startup kits after certification. Training is conducted in collaboration with the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (Ghana) to support employment integration.

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Youth Employment Agency Reform

The government has directed a comprehensive review of youth employment modules to:

Eliminate duplication
Improve efficiency
Ensure better value for public spending

Military Training for National Service Personnel

A memorandum of understanding has been signed between:

National Service Authority (Ghana)
Ghana Armed Forces

The agreement will provide military training to 10,000 national service personnel during the 2025–2026 service year. The initiative was described as part of strengthening national discipline, skills development, and security preparedness.

Industrial Transformation and Export Growth

The government is prioritizing value addition, manufacturing, and agribusiness expansion.

Plans are underway to establish:

Three new garment factories in:
- Eastern Region
- Central Region
- Bono East Region

Expected job creation: 27,000 jobs

Industrial policy focuses on:

Textile manufacturing
Pharmaceutical and vaccine production
Automotive components
Contract farming and agro-processing

State-Owned Enterprise Revitalization

The government is pursuing strategic private investment to revive several state-owned factories, including:

Volta Star Textiles Limited
Komenda Sugar Factory
Pwalugu Tomato Factory
Zuarungu Meat Factory

Strategic investors are being sourced to support modernization and operational sustainability.

Non-Traditional Export Growth

Ghana’s non-traditional exports recorded strong performance:

Export earnings reached $4.87 billion in 2025
Growth rate: 27.04%
Previous year earnings: $3.83 billion

The result reflects the early success of the Accelerated Export Development Program.

Mining Sector Contribution and Reform

The mining and quarrying subsector remains a major economic contributor.

Statistics show:

Mining contributed 17.4% of the industry’s GDP share in 2025
Export earnings from mining reached $15.25 billion
Mining represented 65.37% of total export receipts

The government abolished VAT on mineral exploration activities to attract investment and reduce exploration costs.

Intensified Fight Against Illegal Mining (Galamsey)

Illegal mining remains a major environmental and security concern. The government has deployed a multidimensional enforcement strategy involving

Technology-based monitoring
Community participation
Strong regulatory enforcement

Key measures include:

Registration of 1,808 earth-moving equipment at ports
Installation of trackers on 1,033 machines
Deployment of 1,634 blue water guards across mining-prone regions

Operations are coordinated across 31 identified illegal mining hotspots.

Coastal Protection and Flood Control

Sea defense projects have been completed in:

Komenda
Ningo-Prampram
Elmina

These projects have protected approximately 15 km of coastline. Phase 2 of the Blekusu-Kosab coastal protection project is 25% complete, restoring calm along vulnerable coastal communities. A national flood mitigation task force has also been established.

Housing Sector Development

Ghana’s housing deficit is estimated at over 1.8 million units.

Government initiatives include:

Saglemi Housing Project

Joint venture arrangements finalized
Documentation processing underway for project completion

Affordable Housing Expansion

Tema Development Company (Ghana) is constructing 800 housing units at Community 26.

Additionally, the Oxygen City Housing Project in Abo aims to deliver 1,000 affordable housing units. Resettlement housing programs are also being expanded for displaced communities.