Youth unemployment and human security in Ghana A study of the Effutu Municipality

Abstract

Unemployment has been a problem of interest since the industrial revolution in the 1800’s, yet reducing unemployment to the barest minimum is a challenge to economies worldwide especially Africa including Ghana. Sadly, the major sufferers of this canker are the youth. This threatens the human security of the unemployed youth, their families and Ghanaians at large. The purpose of this study was to uncover the connection between youth unemployment and human security in the Effutu Municipality. The specific objectives were to find out how youth unemployment has manifested in the municipality; examine the consequences of youth unemployment on human security in the area and explore how the measures adopted to mitigate youth unemployment have improved human security in the municipality. The case study design within the phenomenological interpretative paradigm was adopted and underpinned by the Keynesian unemployment theory to realise the goal of the study. Data was collected with the aid of semi-structured interview guide, and analysed using thematic narratives. The study found that youth unemployment in the municipality is high and this adversely affects human security in the municipality. Evidence to the above included negative effects on the psychological and physical wellbeing of the unemployed youth, financial constraints and strenuous livelihood to the family. The study recommends that government policies should target the youth and strict measures to curb illegal fishing should be observed in order to reduce youth unemployment and ensure improvement of human security in the municipality.