The Talent Drought Is Coming, And It’s Not What You Think.

We’ve grown accustomed to talking about unemployment as if it’s a traffic light we’re waiting to change colour. But something deeper and more hazardous is creeping in beneath the surface. What if, even if and/or when opportunities arise, we don’t have enough people with the right skills to seize them? That’s the real danger.

I’m not referring to a lack of degrees or certificates. It’s the growing gap between what our economy requires and what our population can provide. This mismatch could hinder Ghana much more than inflation or currency fluctuations ever might.

 

The Old Problem Has Evolved

We’ve long faced a youth unemployment issue. But that conversation is beginning to change. Ghana is modernising in parts. Agriculture is becoming more tech-driven, logistics is more digitised, and even informal retail is moving online. However, our education systems, training routes, and national mindset have not yet fully caught up with these developments.

Think about this:

• Agritech needs data interpreters, not just farmers.
• Green energy projects need electricians with coding knowledge.
• Logistics companies now require digital trackers and inventory software operators.
• Digital marketing is replacing print, but few know how to manage ads, track analytics or build brand identity.
• Customer support is shifting to online platforms like chatbots and CRM systems, but how many people are we training for those roles?

All the while, many of our graduates are still emerging with outdated theory, limited practical experience, and little exposure to real-world problem-solving. I’m not criticising our educational institutions. I’m merely urging us to confront the gap.

 

When This Became Obvious to Me

I run companies across various sectors such as agriculture, logistics, tech, insurance, finance, hospitality, and more. I’ve noticed the same pattern in all of them: we receive CVs, yes. We interview graduates, yes. But often, the technical or operational fluency is lacking.

We employ people who are expected to possess certain skills because, well, they graduated with specific credentials. Yet, we almost always find ourselves training them from scratch. This isn’t a one-off occurrence. It happens consistently across our operations. Every year, we need to onboard new staff to handle seemingly simple tasks. Instead, we often spend weeks, sometimes months, coaching them on what they should have known before starting.

It slows down the company, increases costs, and delays project outcomes. Not because the recruits aren’t smart, but because their education never prepared them for the tools industry actually uses.

The other day, I found myself teaching our top-tier accounting intern how to calculate a moving breakeven point, adjusting for variable costs like rent. I shouldn’t be doing this. But that’s our reality. He’d learnt the breakeven formula: fixed costs, variable costs, unit price, unit cost, and that’s what he knew. It was clean, linear, and static.

But real-world finance doesn’t work that way. Costs fluctuate, revenue moves, and breakeven isn’t a fixed destination; in a real business, it shifts with the business. What struck me wasn’t just the gap in knowledge, but the mindset that finance is something you plug into a formula rather than interrogate.

Frankly, it’s part of our passion for the Africa School of Entrepreneurship. Because if we don’t prepare for complexity early on, we end up with technically brilliant minds that are unready for reality. And that costs far more than time.

 

Key Observations I Have Made

1. Credential Inflation vs. Competency

We’re seeing more degree holders, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the talent pool is stronger. Credentials are becoming more common, while core competencies, the real ability to perform the job, lag behind. Employers sift through piles of CVs only to find the skills they truly need are missing. We need to start valuing portfolios, apprenticeships, and practical experience just as much as formal education. I’m not devaluing education. I’ve only realised that a certificate is only as useful as the competence it indicates.

2. Lost Talent in the Informal Economy

Across Ghana and much of Africa, the informal sector is filled with individuals who solve real-world problems every day, yet they remain invisible to the formal job market. The trotro mate who calculates change faster than a POS machine. The market woman who tracks rotating inventory mentally. Abochie shakes a wad of cash and can tell you how many bills are missing from the stack. These are highly capable individuals with no formal recognition. If we created mechanisms to identify and upskill this talent, we’d be surprised by how much economic value we’re leaving unclaimed.

3. Soft Skills Are Now Hard Assets

Gone are the days when communication and teamwork were ‘nice to have’. Now, they determine an organisation’s success or failure. I’ve seen more projects stall due to poor collaboration or a lack of initiative than because someone couldn’t write code or operate machinery. Emotional intelligence, adaptability, negotiation, these need to be taught with the same rigour we apply to technical subjects. We must begin to see soft skills not as side dishes, but as a main course.

4. The Curriculum Isn’t Broken. It’s Just Slow.

Our educational content remains highly useful. However, respectfully, it is simply not fast enough, and this is not their fault, because the world is moving so quickly. The market evolves quarterly, but curricula take years to update. That delay is costing us. Imagine if university syllabi were revised every two years, with input from private sector partners and employers. We would bridge the gap between learning and relevance.

5. We’re Over-Indexing on Jobs, and Under-Indexing on Problem Solvers

We often tell young people to ‘get a job,’ but what we truly need are those who can create value in complex, uncertain environments. Builders. Solvers. Initiators. People who see a broken system and find a way to fix it. The Africa School of Entrepreneurship (ASOE), for instance, trains for both employment and enterprise. And in today’s volatile landscape, that mindset might be our most important national resource.

 

What Businesses Can Do Now

While we wait for public policy to catch up, businesses can take the lead.

Mentorship, apprenticeships and support are essential for personal and professional growth. These should not be seen as charity but as investments in future capacity.

Upskill your current team. Don’t just hire: build! Create internal programmes that enhance their value.

Collaborate with platforms like Africa School of Entrepreneurship (ASOE), the MIG Impact Platform, and local tech hubs that are training tomorrow’s workforce.

Create real learning environments. Let interns and junior staff sit in on strategy meetings. Let them shadow clients. Let them fail fast, learn faster.

At Maxwell Investments Group, we’ve seen firsthand how investing in on-the-ground training creates a loop of trust, productivity, and loyalty that CVs alone can’t capture. We’ve built training into our operations, not just for compliance or efficiency, but for our own survival and growth.

The Future Will Belong to the Trained

There is no time to waste. Countries that prepare now will own the next decade. Those that don’t will be playing catch-up… if they’re lucky.

Let’s start preparing people for impact. It’s not easy, but it’s the only way we can build a workforce that’s resilient, relevant, and ready. Let’s talk less about readiness. Let’s make employability as important as employment itself. Because when the opportunities come, and they will, we’ll either have the people to rise to them, or we’ll watch them pass us by.

The talent drought is coming. But we can still change the forecast.

I hope you found this article both insightful and enjoyable. Your feedback is greatly valued and appreciated. I welcome any suggestions for topics you would like me to cover or provide insights on. You can schedule a meeting with me through my Calendly at www.calendly.com/maxwellampong. Alternatively, connect with me through various channels on my Linktree page at www.linktr.ee/themax. Subscribe to the ‘Entrepreneur In You’newsletter here: https://lnkd.in/d-hgCVPy.

I wish you a highly productive and successful week ahead!

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The author, Dr. Maxwell Ampong, serves as the CEO of Maxwell Investments Group. He is also an Honorary Curator at the Ghana National Museum and the Official Business Advisor with Ghana’s largest agricultural trade union under Ghana’s Trade Union Congress (TUC). Founder of WellMax Inclusive Insurance and WellMax Micro-Credit, Dr. Ampong writes on relevant economic topics and provides general perspective pieces. ‘Entrepreneur In You’ operates under the auspices of the Africa School of Entrepreneurship, an initiative of Maxwell Investments Group.

Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author, Dr. Maxwell Ampong, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position, or beliefs of Maxwell Investments Group or any of its affiliates. Any references to policy or regulation reflect the author’s interpretation and are not intended to represent the formal stance of Maxwell Investments Group. This content is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or investment advice. Readers should seek independent advice before making any decisions based on this material. Maxwell Investments Group assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content or for any actions taken based on the information provided.

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