77% of road deaths involve young Ghanaians – Youth Minister

Youth Development and Empowerment Minister George Opare Addo has expressed deep concern over the growing number of road deaths among Ghana’s young population.

Presenting the 2025 State of the Youth Address on November 5, he said that between January and August this year, 1,937 road accidents were recorded, leading to 10,957 injuries. He disclosed that 77 percent of the fatalities involved pedestrians, motorcyclists, and cyclists, mostly males.

“The data tells us that 82 percent of the victims are men, and the highest risk group is between 20 and 29 years,” Opare Addo stated. “It shows that our young males, who make up the bulk of those on the roads, are the most affected.”

Citing a University of Ghana research, he said the trend raises serious questions about Ghana’s future labour force.

“If out of nearly 2,000 deaths, 77 percent are young people, it forces us to reflect on what this means for our future workforce,” he noted.

The minister also highlighted that 12 percent of road fatalities in June 2024 involved people under 18, while 88 percent were adults. He called for urgent measures to make roads safer and strengthen enforcement of traffic laws.

Beyond road safety, Mr. Opare Addo drew attention to youth health concerns, including the rising incidence of HIV, AIDS, and other sexually transmitted infections.

“In 2023 alone, 27.4 percent of the 17,774 new HIV infections were among the youth,” he said, adding that the infection rate increased by 32 percent in 2024.

He further expressed concern about the declining rate of testing among young people. “This trend must be reversed immediately. We cannot address what we do not know,” he cautioned.

Touching on nutrition, the minister revealed that 60.1 percent of Ghana’s youth are overweight, while 9.4 percent are obese. “Among females, 22.9 percent are obese, and among males, the figure stands at 17 percent. This is alarming,” he said.

Mr. Opare Addo urged collaboration across sectors to improve road safety, promote healthy lifestyles, and secure the well-being of Ghana’s youth.