Dr. Stephen Amoah Calls for Integration of Entrepreneurship into JHS and SHS Curricula

The Member of Parliament for Nhyiaeso, Dr. Stephen Amoah, has made a passionate appeal for entrepreneurship to be introduced as a core component of Ghana’s Junior High School (JHS) and Senior High School (SHS) curricula, citing it as a long-term solution to the country’s rising youth unemployment crisis.

Delivering a statement on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday, Dr. Amoah stressed that instilling entrepreneurial skills in students from an early stage would help combat joblessness, poverty, and socio-economic instability. He described entrepreneurship as the engine of global economic growth and underscored the need for Ghana to align its educational priorities accordingly.

“Mr. Speaker, the way to go all over the world is entrepreneurship. The private sector is the engine of global socio-economic growth,” he said.

Quoting research by the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), Dr. Amoah revealed that only about 10 percent of university graduates in Ghana secure employment within a year of graduation, leaving the vast majority—over 100,000 annually—struggling to find work.

“This is unacceptable in a country endowed with natural resources and a youthful population,” he stated. “Entrepreneurship is the key to dealing comprehensively with the graduate unemployment crisis in Ghana.”

He warned that the country risks increased social unrest and brain drain if immediate steps are not taken to tackle the issue at its roots. According to him, integrating entrepreneurship into basic and secondary education would help nurture innovation, foster self-reliance, and reduce the over-dependence on government jobs.

“We must train our youth not only to seek jobs but to create them,” he said.

Dr. Amoah criticised the current entrepreneurial landscape as fragmented and ineffective, pointing to a lack of structural and functional coordination among stakeholders. He proposed a four-pronged strategy to strengthen entrepreneurship development in Ghana:

Making entrepreneurship a core subject at the JHS level

Introducing it as an elective subject at SHS

Ensuring government commitment to entrepreneurship through policy reforms

Realigning the roles of stakeholders within the entrepreneurial ecosystem

He maintained that with the right integration, entrepreneurship could significantly boost economic growth, lessen the burden on the state, and address Ghana’s chronic import dependency.

Dr. Amoah concluded his remarks by urging the Ministry of Education and relevant agencies to act swiftly. “Let us not delay. The time to act is now. Entrepreneurship must be treated as a core tool in Ghana’s education and economic policy framework,” he declared.

His proposal received widespread support from Members across the House, many of whom echoed the need for early entrepreneurship training to equip young Ghanaians with practical skills to thrive in today’s economy.