Former Minister for Youth and Sports, Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah
Former Minister for Youth and Sports, Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah has charged the Ghanaian youth to be proactive and be active in the political space of the country and hold politicians who steer affairs of the state to account.
By doing so, the former student leader stated, would not be only contributing to the development of the country but also preparing their minds to take over leadership positions in the future.
The seasoned politician who doubles as a mentor for the youth is made this appeal on Thursday when he addressed hundreds of tertiary students during the ‘Youth Empowerment Summit 2021’ at the LBC auditorium at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).
Afriyie-Ankrah, before his main speech, was interviewed by renowned Citi FM journalist Bernard Avle who was also the guest speaker for the youth empowerment program themed “preparing for your future: 7 steps to fulfilling your purpose a d mission in life.”
Afriyie Ankrah, a former SRC President for the University of Ghana, and a former NUGS Coordinator recalled how his student activism prepared him for future public positions.
To him, if the youth do not get involved in making Ghana great when the time comes for them to take over leadership positions, they may fail to serve.
“And so young people need to be conscious, need to be active and proactive and need to be involved in the political process to choose leaders that have their interest at heart. Leaders that have the vision and can move the country to the next level,” he admonished.
He also urged policy-makers to focus on the youth whenever they plan for the country, stressing that Ghanaian youth have what it takes to move the country forward with their capabilities and skills.
Ghana has intelligent youth
Afriyie Ankrah observed that the youngsters in the country have enviable skills that breed innovations towards moving the country from the third world in the shortest possible time should the youth be offered leadership roles in government and other decision-making tables that have the potentials to turn Ghana’s fortunes around.
“Throughout my life, I have had so many interactions with many young people, and what I have observed is that young people are very knowledgeable, intelligent but they need direction,” he revealed as he urged the youth to harness their talents toward achieving their goals
Asked about how he sees the youth –35 years and below– he stated, “my view is that they are smarter than us.”
“The kind of things that they know and can do because of access to information: on social media, google, the internet, etc. There is so much that they know…However, it all has to be harnessed and channeled and directed properly.”
He indicated that given the right opportunity and direction, the country’s youth “can do much, much better than us.”
He further advised that the youth capitalize on the knowledge they have acquired in school and elsewhere to help shape the country.