The Paga Youth Movement, a non-partisan, development-driven youth movement in the Kassena-Nankana West District, has likened the growing trend of systemic unemployment and bribery in Ghana’s job market to a modern form of slavery.
The movement described the current state of unemployment rate and frustration of Ghana’s youth in seeking jobs as “a grave injustice confronting today’s youth”.
According to the youth movement, although slavery had been abolished, its legacy continues to manifest in new forms, including economic hardship where
qualified young Ghanaians are often compelled to pay bribes or take loans to secure employment, a situation they described as unjust and demoralising .
Mr Wenawome Aborah, the Chairman of the Paga Youth Movement, expressed this grave concern when he spoke at the 2025 edition of PANAFEST and Emancipation Day celebrations held at the Pikworo Slave Camp in Nania-Paga.
Held under the theme: “Let Us Speak of Reparative Justice – Pan-African Artistic Activism,” the event sought to memorialise the atrocities of the transatlantic slave trade, provide a platform for truth-telling, cultural renewal, and serve as a foundation to build unity among Africans and the diaspora.
Mr Aborah said the theme resonated deeply with the frustrations of young Ghanaians who, despite their qualifications, were often forced to pay bribes or secure
loans to access employment opportunities.
“The call for justice must not be confined to the brutalities of the transatlantic slave trade. Today’s youth are shackled by economic slavery, systemic unemployment, and the demand for bribes to access jobs they are qualified for,” he stated.
Mr Aborah described the current situation as one that “undermines productivity, stifles potential, and dims the hope of a generation,” and urged stakeholders to take decisive steps to address the injustice.
The Youth Movement proposed the establishment of skilled training centres across the country to empower youth with employable skills and reduce economic
vulnerability.
“A productive youth is a peaceful youth and a peaceful society is a progressive one,” he added.
The chairman appealed to the government to expedite work on the Agenda 111 Hospital in Paga, address over a decade of water challenges caused by a nonfunctional Ghana Water Limited reservoir, and support the Paga Senior High School, which recently lost its building to fire.
In response, Mr Donatus Atanga Akamugri, the Upper East Regional Minister, indicated that the government of the day would never allow such a canker and would
work to erase such conduct (bribes for jobs) and provide equal opportunity to all manner of persons.
He also proposed the use of traditional gods or shrines as a means of holding leaders accountable, explaining that while officers often take oaths to be diligent
and impartial, they still end up accepting bribes without facing consequences.
However, he argued that this would not be the case if they were made to swear by a shrine, as they would not be forgiven by the gods.
By Gilbert Azeem Tiroog
GNA