Unemployment among youth in Ghana continues to increase. Studies have shown that the labor-intensive construction sector offers great potential to address this challenge, and there has been growing concern of possible skills gaps in the sector over the next decades. The supply shortage is projected to be particularly pronounced for artisans and tradesmen. 

The Youth Inclusive Entrepreneurial Development Initiative for Employment (YIEDIE) was designed to assist economically-disadvantaged youth to fill this gap, offering a career pathway into Ghana’s construction sector. Implemented from 2015 to 2020 by Global Communities in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, YIEDIE helped more than 25,000 youth, 30% of them female, develop skills needed in the construction sector. 

This brief describes the barriers to youth employment in the construction sector and the YIEDIE project’s approach to addressing these barriers. Finally, the brief draws out lessons learned for future programming.