For the Ghanaian youth patiently waiting on governments to solve all their economic challenges, a World Bank expert says it is time for a decisive turnaround.
Senior Agricultural Economist for Ghana and West Africa at the World Bank, Dr. Ashwin Sebastian, urges the youth in Ghana and Africa to take their destiny into their hands and take personal responsibility for creating opportunities through innovation, entrepreneurship, and determination.
Speaking at the AFW Youth Forum 2026 organised by the World Bank, Dr. Sebastian challenged Ghanaian youth to abandon the mindset that economic success begins and ends with government intervention, insisting that lasting financial independence comes from initiative, persistence, and a willingness to build solutions.
She justifies that Ghana’s economic growth trajectory, over the last decade, has not created enough opportunities for the Ghanaian youth.
“Ghana has been growing around 6% a year for the last 10 years. But it has only created about 235,000 new jobs. And you have 3.7 million youth who have entered the labour force in the last 10 years. So there is a huge gap. Depending on the government to solve your problem, it won’t get solved,” she remarked.
The agricultural expert emphasized to the participants that while public policy has an important role to play, individuals cannot afford to put their ambitions on hold waiting for state support.
According to her, one of the biggest gaps she has observed after living in Ghana for four years is the relatively low level of youth advocacy and proactive engagement compared to some other African countries.
Drawing comparisons with Kenya, she noted that young people elsewhere have shown a stronger willingness to organise, demand accountability, and actively shape their future rather than remain passive in the face of economic difficulties.
“One of the other things that also strikes me about Ghana is advocacy, right? And I’ve been in Ghana like four years now. I don’t see a lot of youth advocacy as I see in other countries in Africa. If you go to Kenya, you saw the youth uprisings. If you’re not happy, you shouldn’t be sitting passively,” she charged.
Aside from demanding accountability, Dr. Sebastian encouraged young people to channel their energy into solving real-world problems by identifying opportunities, acquiring the necessary skills, and boldly pursuing innovative business ideas.
“If you really have a good idea, use your passion, whatever you’re passionate about, go and learn about it. Go and start it. Believe in yourself and put in the work. You will find the money. Sitting there and complaining about the money, it will not help you,” she emphasized.
She pointed to Hello Tractor, an African agritech platform that connects farmers with tractor owners through digital technology, as an example of how innovation can transform agriculture while creating jobs and wealth. According to her, the company succeeded because its founders invested their own effort and resources before seeking to scale the business.
Questioning why Ghana has not produced more businesses of a similar scale, Dr. Sebastian said innovation exists in the country, but entrepreneurs must be willing to think bigger and build enterprises capable of expanding beyond the startup stage.
Her remarks come at a time when youth unemployment and access to finance remain major concerns in Ghana, with increasing calls for entrepreneurship and private-sector-led growth to complement government efforts in creating sustainable jobs.
