The National Population Council (NPC) has called for increased investment in the country’s estimated 12 million young people, saying they are the country's greatest asset for driving sustainable national development.
The council explained that deliberate investments in quality education, health care, skills development, entrepreneurship and innovation were critical to empowering young people to realise their full potential and participate meaningfully in governance.
The acting Executive Director of the NPC, Angelina Osei Kodua-Nyanor, made the call at a media briefing in Accra yesterday to launch the country’s activities for the 2026 World Population Day (WPD) celebration.
The event was organised by the NPC, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), on the theme: “Investing in Ghana’s Future through Healthy, Skilled and Empowered Young People.”
Population data
Mrs Kodua-Nyanor said the council would continue working with its partners to ensure that population data informed policies and decisions that directly improved the lives of young people.
She urged stakeholders to, among others, create more decent jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities, improve access to quality health care, promote gender equality, protect the rights of young people, support innovation and digital inclusion, and increase investment in youth-focused policies and programmes.
“The Youth are not merely beneficiaries of development; they are innovators, entrepreneurs, leaders and agents of change whose energy, creativity and resilience are indispensable to Ghana’s future,” she said.
Mrs Kodua-Nyanor said a World Population Day float would be organised through the principal streets of East Legon and Madina on July 27 to create public awareness and encourage nationwide participation.
She said the float would be accompanied by health screening, counselling, reproductive health services and a “Know Your Status” campaign.
However, she said the national commemoration would take place on July 28, and also the NPC would undertake a month-long public education campaign comprising media engagements, community outreach programmes, youth dialogues, digital campaigns and policy discussions across the country.
Commitment
For his part, the UNFPA Representative in Ghana, Dr David Wilfred Ochan, said population remained central to national development, adding that a youthful population would only become a demographic dividend if young people were healthy, educated, skilled and productively employed.
“Our message is simple: your hopes and aspirations are valid, and UNFPA is committed to reaching every young person, wherever they live,” he said.
He stressed that young people should not be regarded merely as beneficiaries of development but as innovators, leaders and agents of change.
Dr Ochan commended the government and the NPC for their leadership in advancing evidence-based population policies and said the celebration of the day provided an opportunity to reflect on the link between population dynamics and sustainable development.
He expressed the UNFPA’s commitment to continue working with government and partners to promote sexual and reproductive health and rights, strengthen population data systems and support policies that empower women and young people to contribute meaningfully to national development.
“As the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA works to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person's potential is fulfilled,” he said.
