George Opare-Addo
THE MINISTRY of Youth Development and Empowerment and the National Youth Authority (NYA) are gearing up for the maiden edition of the National Youth Festival in August 2025 under the theme “Igniting Potential: Inspiring Change.”
The month-long festival has activities such as; Youth Day with Religious Leaders from August 1 and 3, Youth Clean Up Day on August 2, followed by National Youth Conference which takes place at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) from August 10 to 12.
The conference will feature a series of plenary and breakout session focusing on issues affecting the youth, with emphasis on skills training and job creation. The festival will also host a nationwide Health Walk against Substance Abuse (Red Means Stop) on August 16, a multi-stakeholder dialogue on August 20, as well as National Youth Conference on Climate Action and Environmental Sustainability on August 25.
The festival will climax with National Youth Carnival, which will celebrate the youth through music, dance and comedy from August 29 to 30. It will also provide the platforms for young entrepreneurs to showcase their products and services.
In his address, the Minister for Youth Development and Employment, George Opare Addo, said the youth of Ghana embody immense potentials, serving as a driving force for social and economic advancement, but most often faces multifaceted challenges including access to quality education, high unemployment rates, substance abuse and limited participation in governance and decision making.
“This is the reason why August 2025 is set aside to celebrate and encourage our youth for their contribution towards national development. We will host sessions like skills development training among others to unlock their full potential.
“We designating August as Ghana’s National Youth Month and a celebration of our National Youth festival is not a way to isolate youth-related efforts to a single month. Far from it. It is our commitment to be extra-intentional about young people’s issues, even more so than we already are throughout the year,” he said.
The Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority, Osman Abdulai Ayariga, assured that the festival will uplift the youth while fostering a strong ethical framework that reinforces positive behaviours and values.
He assured that they are working closely with the UN System, all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, Parliament, faith-based organisations, traditional authorities, regional coordinating councils, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), civil society organisations, corporate partners, media houses, student groups, and youth-focused organisations to ensure that the activities reach every corner of Ghana and positively impact the lives of young people.
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke