Embrace AI, technical skills for future jobs …Constance Swaniker urges youth
The Founder and President of the Design and Technology Institute (DTI), Ms Constance Swaniker, has urged the youth to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) and cultivate entrepreneurial mindset to remain competitive in the rapidly evolving world of work.
She said although AI and automation were transforming industries across the globe, Africa’s greatest risk was not losing jobs to machines but failing to equip its young people with the skills required to seize emerging opportunities.
Speaking at the DTI Jobs and Opportunities Fair in Accra on Friday, Ms Swaniker, citing the World Economic Forum projections, said while automation and AI could displace about 85 million jobs globally by 2030, they were also expected to create 97 million new roles, reinforcing the need for continuous learning, upskilling and reskilling.
She expressed concern over persistent youth unemployment, citing Ghana Statistical Service figures which indicate that unemployment among persons aged 15 to 24 stands at 32.5 per cent, with more than 1.3 million young Ghanaians currently not in employment, education or training.
Across Africa, she noted, between 10 and 12 million young people enter the labour market annually to compete for only about three million formal jobs.
“This is the gap DTI was built to close. We do not train young people for the economy we wish existed. We train them for the economy that exists today and for the one that is emerging,” she stated.
The fair, held on the theme: ‘Navigating Skills, Careers and the Future of Work: Preparing Young People to Thrive in an AI-Enabled World,’ brought together academia, industry, employers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, development partners and students to examine how AI and emerging technologies were reshaping careers and creating new opportunities.
It was organised by DTI in partnership with its lead industry partner, Accents & Art.
A highlight of the event was the Accra Floods Hackathon, which challenged participants to develop AI-enabled solutions to improve flood preparedness, disaster response and urban resilience.
Out of 88 applicants, five finalists were selected, each receiving US$600 in seed funding to further develop their innovations.
The winners were Nana Ama Nhyira Agyapong with SafeCity GH: AI-Powered Crowdsourced Risk Mapping; Carolyn Ngmen-Nomo Kuubetersuur with Smart Flood Drain Filter; Ativor Godsway Kwabla with FloodGuard; Ruth Asiedua Frimpong with Floodbuddy; and Berko Enoch Bill with AcquaAlert Accra. The projects focused on flood prevention, risk mapping, hazard reporting and emergency response.
Ms Swaniker said the 2026 fair built on the success of the 2025 edition, which attracted more than 50 companies and created employment, mentorship and entrepreneurship opportunities. Since its establishment in 2016, she said, DTI’s industry-led training programmes had contributed to more than 41,000 employment and entrepreneurship opportunities across Ghana, with more than half of its learners being young women.
Representing the Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET), the Deputy Director-General, Mr Anthony Kwame Seyram Zu, reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to promoting skills development, AI and innovation as key pillars of Ghana’s TVET transformation.
He commended DTI for its industry-driven approach and assured the institute of CTVET’s continued support.
Delivering the keynote address, the Chief Executive Officer of the Knowledge Web Centre and Lead Consultant for the AI Africa Project, Dr David King Boison, encouraged young people to view AI as a tool for innovation and career advancement rather than a threat.
“Artificial intelligence will not take your job. But a person who knows how to use it might,” he said, and urged the youth people to combine technical expertise with AI literacy and use technology to solve local problems and create businesses.
Follow our WhatsApp Channel now! https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbAjG7g3gvWajUAEX12Q
