The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has challenged the youth of the country to continue to dream, explore, and discover their potentials. According to him, the youth could do and be anything they wanted if they put their minds to it.
The President was speaking on Monday at Jubilee House during an event to present gold awards to 200 young people for successfully completing the prescribed activities of the Head of State Award-Ghana Scheme.
In his address as the Special Guest of Honour, President Akufo-Addo hoped the knowledge they had acquired would not be the end of the road for them, but that they would put into practise what they had acquired.
He repeated a quote by H. Jackson Brown Jr., which said: “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do, than by the ones that you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the Trade Winds in your sails. Explore, Dream, Discover.”
EMPOWERING THE YOUTH
The President noted that empowering the youth through social innovation and entrepreneurship had the “incredible potential” to solve problems at the grassroots level if the young people were given a robust platform to connect and act.
He observed that the aspirations and needs of young people, and their ability to meet their full potential, remained largely unmet, due to the myriad of economic challenges.
President Akufo-Addo emphasised that the development of Ghana demanded the active participation of the youth.
He also said that, for young people to be in the position to drive this nation to where it ought to be, it was imperative that they were equipped, trained, supported, and given a level playing field.
“We need to create avenues that will enable them to explore, be innovative, and use creative ways of solving societal problems to ensure the development of this nation,” he added.
THE AWARD SCHEME
The Head of State Awards Scheme is a youth development programme that seeks to challenge young people through a balanced programme of voluntary activities.
A non-competitive programme, the scheme helps unearth the potential of young people in diverse disciplines and allows their achievements to be recognized internationally. It is open to young people aged 14 to 24, regardless of their background or circumstances.
The President is the chief patron of the scheme. President Akufo-Addo congratulated the gold award winners and called on the nation to offer them all the encouragement and support they needed to grow into responsible adults.
President Akufo-Addo was excited about the award scheme’s global youth mobilization and digital award projects, which enabled social entrepreneurship and put youth in the driver’s seat to improve their own lives and societies.
The President reiterated that his administration was a “firm believer in the infinite potential of young people, that is why the government’s interest in young people has been a priority over the past six years.”
He called on the youth to take advantage of the ‘You Start’ flagship programme which has set aside GH¢10 million to support young Ghanaians who intend to start their own businesses or improve their existing businesses.
