The Youth Employment Agency (YEA) recorded a net surplus of GH¢110.45 million in the 2025 financial year, reversing the GH¢77.58 million deficit it posted the previous year, according to draft figures in the 2025 State Ownership Report.
The swing of approximately GH¢188.03 million represents one of the sharpest year-on-year turnarounds among state entities covered in the report. The Agency’s FY2024 deficit had translated into a negative margin of 13.13 per cent, meaning it spent GH¢1.13 for every GH¢1.00 of revenue generated. By FY2025, that had flipped into a positive margin of 12.23 per cent, with the Agency earning GH¢1.14 for every GH¢1.00 spent.
The turnaround was driven primarily by a 52.9 per cent growth in revenue, which outpaced an 18.6 per cent rise in expenditure. Total revenue rose from GH¢590.97 million in FY2024 to GH¢903.36 million in FY2025.
Income from communication tax, the Agency’s internally generated funds (IGF), grew by 27.5 per cent, from GH¢472.13 million to GH¢602.01 million. GETFund transfers recorded the most significant growth, rising 159.7 per cent from GH¢115.50 million in FY2024 to GH¢300.00 million in FY2025, and accounting for 33.2 per cent of total revenue.
However, the report notes that the Agency’s improved financial health came alongside continued exposure from high revenue concentration and a sharp rise in staff costs. Compensation of employees grew by 79.6 per cent, from GH¢103.28 million in FY2024 to GH¢185.48 million in FY2025, pushing staff costs from 15.4 per cent to 23.4 per cent of total expenditure.
YEA’s short-term financial position also improved sharply. In FY2024, the Agency’s current ratio stood at 1.94:1, slightly below the standard benchmark of 2:1, while a negative debt coverage of 1.20 pointed to stress in meeting short-term obligations from operating cash flow.
By FY2025, the current ratio had improved dramatically to 20.05:1, meaning the Agency held GH¢20.05 in current assets for every GH¢1.00 of short-term liability. The report attributes this to a significant buildup of cash and receivables from the FY2025 surplus, effectively eliminating short-term liquidity risk by year-end. It cautions, however, that sustaining this position will depend on managing revenue concentration and controlling staff cost growth.
YEA’s debt-to-asset ratio declined sharply from 0.26:1 in FY2024 to 0.04:1 in FY2025, indicating that only about 4 per cent of the Agency’s assets were financed by debt by year-end, with 96 per cent financed by equity.
Net assets more than doubled, from GH¢88.18 million in FY2024 to GH¢199.21 million in FY2025, while total assets grew by 74.6 per cent to GH¢207.18 million. The report attributes the increase in net assets primarily to the FY2025 surplus.
The report notes that YEA expanded its recruitment of beneficiaries to more than 860,000 in 2025. It states that the Agency did not report any quasi-fiscal activities or Climate Smart Investments for the year.
