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Speakers at a youth summit in Accra have encouraged young leaders, entrepreneurs and development practitioners to work together, embrace innovation and contribute meaningfully to national development through social impact initiatives.
That, they said, would help build stronger communities, create opportunities for young people and accelerate sustainable national development.
The speakers were the Swiss Ambassador to Ghana, Simone Giger; the Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment, George Opare Addo, and the Founder and President of For the Future (FTF), a non-governmental organisation, Kezia Sonia Kermah.
The summit, which brought together diplomats, government officials, entrepreneurs, youth leaders and social impact practitioners, highlighted the importance of collaboration, innovation and purposeful leadership in addressing societal challenges.
The event, held on the theme: “Bridging Leaders and Change-makers for Social Impact”, focused on empowering young people to become active contributors to social transformation through education, entrepreneurship and community engagement.
The summit, held last Wednesday, brought together stakeholders from sectors, including education, technology, health, governance and climate action, to share experiences, build networks and explore solutions to challenges facing young people and communities.
In her remarks, Ms Giger said meaningful change could be achieved when individuals and communities joined forces to address challenges in society.
She urged participants to interact with people they did not know, remain open-minded and share ideas that could contribute to positive change.
The ambassador said impactful change did not require perfection but commitment, willingness to learn and the readiness to grow together.
She said gatherings such as the summit demonstrated that many young people were not only pursuing success but were also committed to creating purpose and positive impact in society.
For his part, Mr Opare Addo said young people should be viewed as national assets capable of contributing positively to development rather than as a burden on society.
He said the theme of the programme underscored the importance of collective effort in driving change and addressing societal challenges.
Mr Opare Addo explained that social impact often started from small actions and deliberate efforts that many people overlooked.
The minister added that when young people were viewed as an investment and not a problem, governments and institutions would begin to develop policies and programmes that prepared them to contribute meaningfully to society.
Ms Kermah said the organisation began during her days at high school and explained that the idea emerged from conversations with friends while preparing hair creams during a vacation period.
Ms Kermah said growing up and observing children, particularly children of head porters, out of school, inspired her desire to support vulnerable children through education and skills development.
She said the organisation had since supported thousands of children across the country by helping them access educational sponsorship and opportunities for personal growth.
She encouraged participants to use the gathering to build meaningful partnerships across sectors such as education, health, technology and climate action.
During a panel discussion, the speakers emphasised the importance of resilience, optimism, leadership and collaboration in sustaining social impact initiatives and addressing challenges facing young people and communities.
The panellists are the Managing Director of Leading Ladies Network, Yawa Hanson-Quao; the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Lead for Africa, Daniel Dotse; the Founder and President of the Africa Centre for Technical Training, Penelope Brooke Thompson, and the Founder of Golden Palm Investment, Dr Sangu Delle, Esq.
They explained that growth experienced through challenges, failures, and difficult moments also strengthened their resolve to continue building impactful organisations and initiatives.
The panellists emphasised that the growing social and economic challenges confronting communities were inspiring a new generation of young people to become more active in finding solutions and driving change.
The panellists further stressed the need for citizens, particularly young people, to participate actively in leadership and governance instead of remaining on the sidelines criticising systems and institutions.
