Ghanaian musician Denning Edem Hotor, better known by his stage name Edem Goget’em, has expressed worry about the increasing number of young Ghanaians looking for work elsewhere, blaming it on a sense of hopelessness in their own country.
Edem discussed his thoughts on the youth exodus in an exclusive interview with Pulse.com.gh. He said that many are leaving Ghana in quest of better opportunities and advancement, something they feel are now elusive in their native country.
“Nobody wants to remain somewhere where they don’t see progress; everyone wants to Jakpa. The areas that people desire to go and Ghana, in my opinion, differ in that there is hope for the future. Young people need a better life and to envision a brighter future,” Edem said.
His comments are in line with a recent rise in the number of young Ghanaians leaving the country for a variety of causes. The Ghana Population and Housing Census of 2021 revealed a worrying pattern: more Ghanaians are leaving the country to seek employment abroad, with young people making up the majority of those leaving.
Statistics from the Thematic Report on Migration 2021 show that people between the ages of 20 and 49 make up more than 77% of those who migrate overseas in search of better opportunities.
According to the survey, 23.7% of Ghanaian immigrants preferred to relocate to the Americas, while over 37% of them selected to go to Europe.
