President Akufo-Addo
President Akufo-Addo has charged his African counterparts to use the enormous wealth of their countries to empower their youthful populations.
“Africa has the largest youthful population and I repose great hope in their capacity to shape the future of the continent and make Africa the lion that it was meant to be.”
This was contained in the President’s address at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Boston, US last Friday under the theme, ‘Empowering the Youth, Africa’s Golden Future.’
“Africa must develop a strategy to benefit from the demographic advantages she is blessed with as represented by the youthful population, he said, adding that “the population opportunity will not automatically guarantee us a future of growth and prosperity. Demographic dividends do not come automatically. They have to be earned.”
He said African countries must invest in the empowerment, education and employment of young people.
“No one needs to tell us that mass unemployment in Africa, especially amongst her youth, is a ticking time bomb. The so-called Arab Spring showed clearly that lack of employment opportunities can undermine social cohesion and political stability. With between 10 and 12 million youth joining the labour market every year, Africa has to pay maximum attention to job creation,” he added.
With young people willing to risk everything to improve their circumstances, the President noted that increasing investment in young people is key, including promoting quality education that prepares them for a future of opportunities.
Young people, he said, are ready to take risk to improve their lot, adding that increasing investment in them and the provision of quality education is the key to prepare them for the future.
“That is why the Free Senior High School policy instituted by my government two years ago, which is expanding dramatically access to secondary school education for all of Ghana’s young people, is opening up greater and greater vistas of opportunities for Ghana’s young female population. Legislation is on its way to redefine basic education to encompass kindergarten up to the end of senior high school, and make it compulsory for all of Ghana’s children,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo also advocated the involvement of young people in decisions that affect them, explaining that Africa cannot talk about shaping the future without talking about the welfare and well being of young people.