Sammy Awuku (left) receiving the award from Peter Kodjie
The All-Africa Students’ Union (AASU) – a continental students’ body – has conferred on the Youth Organiser of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sammy Awuku, the ‘Continental Youth Icon’ Award for 2017.
According to the union, he had distinguished himself as a youth leader and also for his consistent advocacy for students’ and youth rights.
He was presented with a plaque that came with a motivational citation as well as some souvenirs by the leadership of AASU, led by the Secretary-General, Peter Kwasi Kodjie and the Press and Information Secretary, Ansumana B. Bojang.
The presentation took place at the NPP headquarters in Accra with some members of the party’s youth wing in attendance.
“We wish to recognise you for your long-standing relationship with AASU and your unwavering commitment to the empowerment of students and youth of the continent. Your show of exemplary leadership, especially during the 2016 general election in Ghana, serves as an unalloyed inspiration to the students and youth of Africa. This award further serves as an acknowledgement of your consistent advocacy for students’ and youth rights and direct engagements of young people across Africa,” the citation indicated.
Highly-elated Sammy Awuku, receiving the award, said he was humbled by the recognition, stressing that he would continue to work for the rights of the youth, even though it was most likely that he would no longer contest as a youth organiser of the NPP when fresh internal elections were conducted.
He commended AASU for fighting for the rights of students across the continent.
Mr Sammy Awuku called on the leadership of AASU to play a mediating role in the affairs of the current National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), which he noted, is experiencing leadership crisis.
According to the NPP youth organiser, the leadership of NUGS is having factions which is undoubtedly affecting the smooth running of the association and therefore asked AASU to help bring about unity among the leaders so that it could effectively stand for the rights of Ghana students.
He said the NPP as a party is youth-friendly and has a lot of programmes that would be rolled out to help the young ones in the country.
Mr Awuku said the passion of the president, Nana Akufo-Addo, is to provide jobs and opportunities to the teeming youth of the country; and that he would do this by providing direct employment or helping the youth entrepreneurs with a start-up capital to set up their own businesses.
He said the NPP has well-coordinated plans to make education in the country as affordable as possible, with the rolling out of the government’s ‘Free SHS’ policy this academic year.
“The youth of this country will get a better direction under the government of the NPP,” Mr Sammy Awuku said.
By Thomas Fosu Jnr