How STEM Can Shape Ghana’s Future

60% of Ghana’s population are under 35 years. That makes the country one of the youngest — on average — on the continent. Meanwhile, Ghana’s digital and technology sectors are booming — and they require a skilled workforce to maintain that momentum.
However, the unemployment rate for young specialists in Ghana stands at 22%. It is higher than the overall 13-14% rate. On top of that, the informal sector accounts for 75% of the overall employment, and that puts a cap on productivity and financial stability for the younger generation.
The country seems in a good position to make the next step and turn its current potential into a young workforce which can ensure economic growth long-term. Let’s look at how this can be achieved.
A Skills Gap in a Growing Economy
Digital and technology sectors are expanding, but moving beyond the current early-growth stage requires skilled technical specialists: engineers, system designers, energy specialists and applied scientists. There is a risk that the technological sector will grow faster than technical specialists can be trained.
While technology can be imported, long-term development rests on domestic expertise. Infrastructure without qualified specialists to maintain and improve it will create a dependency. This is where investment in domestic STEM education becomes strategic and not simply an education policy.
Building a National STEM Ecosystem
A STEM education starts at school, where pupils can access technical disciplines such as physics and maths. Ghana has already made large strides here: over 3000 schools are now implementing STEM-oriented curricula. At the next level, many universities offer STEM-oriented programmes and some – such as Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) are purely STEM-based.
National initiatives in the area — think Ghana STEM network — also aim to make STEM education accessible. Finally, Ghana possesses advanced scientific infrastructure, such as the research GHARR-1 nuclear reactor, which provides specialists with an opportunity to gain and develop hands-on skills in nuclear science and applied technologies.
Where STEM Specialists Are Most Needed
Ghana’s current energy balance rests on fossil fuel (60%+ comes from natural gas) and hydropower (30%+ of the total balance). This system remains prone to fuel import on one hand and hydrological variability on the other. Power shortages — referred to as “dumsor” — have affected households and enterprises in the past.
Another area is healthcare: access to medical services remains uneven between major cities and rural areas. For example, only a fraction of oncological patients who need radiotherapy can get it. Nuclear medicine — such as radioisotope diagnostics and therapy — play a big role in modern oncology.
But beyond infrastructure the healthcare sector requires trained medical physicists, safety experts and technical operators — areas linked to STEM education. Finally, around 40% of the workforce is involved in agriculture.
But climate variability, plant diseases and pest outbreaks all negatively affect both domestic uses and export. Nuclear-based techniques — such as the sterile insect technique (SIT) for pest control and food irradiation for preservation and storage — can improve crop protection, food safety and export quality.

Each of these sectors is not just about infrastructure — they all rely on highly-skilled technical specialists who can apply advanced technology.

How Can Ghana Move Forward in These Areas?

All three areas build on the country’s current expertise — and the course it takes regarding STEM education as one of the key vectors.

Ghana complements its current national efforts with international partnerships too. More than 700 Ghanaian specialists have taken part in technical training programmes within the framework of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The country has also partnered with Japan and Germany, including through WorldSkills exchanges. Russia’s Rosatom is another one of the country’s partners in advanced technical education and energy training.

The company participates in Russia–Africa educational forums and cooperates with IAEA to provide training in nuclear energy management and human resource development. Ghanaian students study at the company’s affiliated universities and participate in the Winter International Tech School as well — a project that brings together participants from across Africa.

“I decided to pursue a technical education in Russia because many of my acquaintances from Ghana studied here and spoke positively about their experience. I am now in my second year of graduate school, working in nuclear science, and I hope this knowledge will allow me to become a highly qualified specialist and contribute to the development of this field in my country,” said Nyarko Obed Asamoah, a Ghanaian participant of the International Tech School and a MPEI (Moscow Power Engineering Institute) student.

Building the Foundations of Long-term Growth

What sets Ghana apart is not the scale of its challenges, but the scale of its potential. A young population, a growing technical sector and blooming international partnerships together create a promising foundation.

If sustained investment in STEM continues — from classrooms to research reactors, from local universities to global exchange programmes — Ghana’s next generation will not simply fill jobs. It will design systems, build infrastructure and develop solutions tailored to the country’s needs. The future is therefore something domestic to be built.

Ghana can strengthen its energy security, modernise healthcare and boost the agricultural sector by empowering its young engineers, scientists and innovators. Today’s pupils and students can become tomorrow’s technical leaders, ensuring that Ghana’s unique demographic potential translates into long-term prosperity.

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