President Nana Akufo-Addo has urged leaders in Africa to channel the continent’s wealth towards developing the youth of their nations.
In his speech at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, President Akufo-Addo said: “I place great hope in their capacity to shape the future of Africa and make Africa the lion that it was meant to be.”
He noted further that Africa must develop a strategy to reap the demographic dividends of its youthful population.
“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.”
“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 to 12 million youths joining the labour market every year, Africa has to pay maximum attention to job creation.”
The President explained how the Free Senior High School policy could contribute to efforts in this regard.
“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. The 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.
Describing the 21st century as the century of science and technology, the President noted that the mastery of digital technology by African youth must be the compelling challenge for them if, indeed, they are to survive in this competitive, technological environment.
Additionally, with several economies on the continent dependent on the production and export of raw materials, President Akufo-Addo noted that there is no way these economies can produce wealth and prosperity for their peoples, especially their youth, explaining that “it is time we were responsible for processing our own resources. It is time that we, in Africa, manage our resources well, to generate wealth for our populations.”
In addition, President Akufo-Addo called for the involvement of young people in decisions that affect them.
He said Africa cannot talk about shaping the future without talking about the welfare and wellbeing of young people.
Whilst stressing that Africa does not have a DNA that dooms her to failure, Africans, the President added, can, like all the other peoples that have succeeded, make life meaningful and worth living for their own people.
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By: citinewsroom.com | Ghana