Mahama sounds alarm over pandemic of unfulfilled African youth potential

President John Dramani Mahama says Africa faces a “pandemic of unfulfilled potential,” with millions of young people unemployed despite vast natural and human resources.

Addressing Zambia’s National Assembly in Lusaka on Thursday, Mahama warned that the continent risks squandering its demographic advantage if urgent reforms are not pursued. “Africa therefore faces a different pandemic, the pandemic of unfulfilled potential,” he told lawmakers, linking youth unemployment directly to extractive economic models.

He said large numbers of young Africans remain locked out of opportunity while economies continue to export raw materials without building domestic capacity.

“Millions of our young people remain unemployed, health systems are fragile, and economies extract wealth without building capacity,” Mahama noted, arguing that such patterns deepen inequality and social frustration.

The Ghanaian President stressed that youth unemployment is not merely a social issue but a strategic threat to long-term stability and growth. He urged African leaders to acknowledge changing global and domestic realities and respond with honesty.

“Africa must confront this changing reality with transparency and pragmatism,” he said.

Mahama placed the youth crisis within a broader structural context, describing what he earlier called a “triple dependency” affecting many African states.

While his focus in Lusaka was on young people, he said their challenges are inseparable from policy choices that favour dependency over self-reliance.

“This condition undermines genuine sovereignty,” he added, noting that development without jobs and skills leaves young citizens disillusioned.

He pointed to recent international engagements as evidence that Africa’s concerns are gaining attention but insisted that solutions must be driven from within the continent.

“Only days ago, I had the opportunity to address global leaders in Davos, where I spoke about the Accra Reset Initiative and the urgent need for Africa to redefine its development trajectory,” Mahama said.

According to him, the initiative seeks to prioritise job creation, industrialisation and value addition, with young people at the centre of economic transformation.

He argued that Africa’s future prosperity depends on moving beyond extraction-led growth to economies that reward innovation, skills and enterprise.

Mahama said history offers guidance in difficult moments, reminding African leaders that periods of disruption can also generate momentum for reform. “History teaches us that a crisis can sharpen resolve,” he said, urging governments to act decisively in expanding opportunities for young people.

He called on parliaments and policymakers across the continent to support reforms that translate political commitments into tangible outcomes.

Mahama stressed that empowering Africa’s youth through jobs, education and productive industries is not optional, but essential to unlocking the continent’s long-delayed potential.