Citizen Kofi mentors Ghanaian, African youth using his life’s journey as a case study

Dr Kofi Amoah, one of Ghana’s celebrated businessmen, activists, philanthropists and sports administrators, has taken a giant step in his advocacy for a better Ghana and Africa led by the youth by mentoring hundreds of youths via the power of social media.

In a Twitter Space conversation hosted last week, Dr Amoah availed himself to answer a wide range of questions from curious Ghanaian and African youths desirous of making a decent living in the countries of their birth.

Credited as the man who successfully pioneered money transfer in Ghana and Africa through Western Union, Dr Kofi Amoah said his decision to share his life story with the youth is to offer some degree of hope to those needing a spark in their own journey of life.

In his opening remark, Dr Amoah stated, “Young People of Ghana and Africa, I speak to you today to shed light on my life’s journey, not for bragging, but to serve as a beacon of hope and inspiration to all of you who may be looking for some spark to wake you up towards your own unique journey towards your own brand of success, for success, in my opinion, is unique in itself, meaning different things to different people.”

Dr Amoah continued by admonishing the youth to choose their own path in life and not follow blindly.

“One size does not fit all, so please choose your own unique direction that will fulfil you and reward you with the accomplishment of your purpose and goals in life. For me I was born and grew up in a small rural town called Tikrom, a suburb of Kumasi, where the little boys and girls were given the duty and responsibility to sweep the village streets and the public toilets every Saturday morning, starting at 5 am sharp. Absentees without valid excuses were punished, a punishment sanctioned by the village chief and elders and applauded by all the village folks!”

The CEO of Progeny Ventures didn’t miss the opportunity to espouse the importance of discipline, integrity and commitment in one’s quest to attain success.

He also touched on the need to be resolute and steadfast in the time of challenges as the road to success is littered with plenty of setbacks.

“You will encounter obstacles on your journey to success as I and others invariably have but you must remain undeterred. You must embrace failure as nothing more than a stepping stone towards success.

With each setback, you will emerge stronger as I did, more resilient and more determined to overcome hurdles that may come before you.” He said.

Kofi Amoah took time to answer many questions from the youth and also listen to some of their perspective on life.
He answered questions about how Africa can develop and used the case of the Asian Tigers as an example of how with the right mindset, regulation and leadership Africa can rise from the ashes of underdevelopment to a first-world continent.

In concluding what he describes as a very thought-provoking conversation, Dr Amoah charged the youth to go out into the world a make a difference.

He encouraged them that their dreams a valid and achievable if they can put their shoulders to the wheel.

“Remember that success is not always measured by individual accomplishments but by the positive impact, we make on the lives of others.

As we navigate the challenges of the modern world, let us be guided by our collective unwavering commitment to excellence, integrity, and the pursuit of a better future for Africa.

Together we can build a brighter and more prosperous Africa, one that is driven by the boundless potential of the Youth."

https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1OwGWwNBBXZGQ?s=20

Find below the full opening remarks as presented by Dr Kofi Amoah


DISCUSSION ON TWITTER


Motivation Address to the Youth of Ghana and Africa using the Life Journey of Citizen Kofi as an Example


Hosted by:

L.K. Hesse and Raymond Bayor



August 13, 2023

Thank you Mr. Raymond Bayor, Co-host

Mr. Hesse, the Host and organizer of this event.
Other brothers on the panel.

Our Brothers and Sisters from Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and across our beautiful continent.

Africans and African-Americans in the Diaspora.

Our people in Niger, Mali, Burkina, Sudan and anywhere in Africa where there is no peace presently.

Ladies and Gentlemen
Young People of Ghana and Africa,

I speak to you today to shed light on my life’s journey, not for bragging, but to serve as a beacon of hope and inspiration to all of you who may be looking for some spark to wake you up towards your own unique journey towards your own brand of success, for success in my opinion is unique in itself, meaning different things to different people:
A good father or mother
A humanitarian, Madam Teresah type
A great teacher, wonderful professor
A kind nurse, doctor or pharmacist
An entrepreneur, a businessman or woman or a sport professional, etc

One size does not fit all, so please choose your own unique direction that will fulfill you and reward you with the accomplishment of your purpose and goals in life.

For me I was born and grew up in a small rural town called Tikrom, a suburb of Kumasi, where the little boys and girls were given the duty and responsibility to sweep the village streets and the public toilets every Saturday morning, starting at 5 am sharp. Absentees without valid excuses were punished, a punishment sanctioned by the village chief and elders and applauded by all the village folks!

My early forays into money-making started as an okro farmer and later on as shoe shine boy plying my trade at Kejetia in Kumasi.

The practice of looking for some dirty shoes to polish for six pense in the hot African sun, and the smile of appreciation from a satisfied customer with a tip gave me such inner elation that I could feel my heartstrings being pulled towards the joys of reward through hard work with perspiration.

The discipline and moral drills inculcated in the Youth of Tikrom and later on at my Secondary school, Opoku Ware in Kumasi, were intense and incessant.

At Opoku Ware school we had focused and well-compensated teachers, infrastructure facilities for learning, well stocked libraries, science laboratories, pocket and book allowances and a climate for inquisitiveness, learning and spiritual cleansing.
The bedrock foundation for an ambitious young man from a village, with discipline and good morals as his guide, was set and the potential for success was defined.
The same discipline and moral foundation from yesterday are necessary today and will be necessary for the Youth of tomorrow as planted in the Youth of Tikrom, Ghana or the Youth in Abeokuta, Nigeria, Kisumu in Kenya, or in the suburban villages of Harare, Dakar or Duala.

Discipline and morals are as fundamental to success as capital is essential to entrepreneurial success.

I am as Ghanaian, Nigerian or Kenyan as you. Africa is in me, so it is in you. and, therefore, I can confidently say that whatever modicum of success I have acquired, the larger success our brother Dangote of Nigeria has acquired, or our brother Philip Ndegwa of Kenya has acquired, so can you if that meets your objectives and aspirations.

I and many others have experienced firsthand the challenges as well as the opportunities that the African continent presents.

My path, Dangote’s path or Ndegwa’s path, may not cannot be the only path to one’s success… the important point to make here is that there are several paths for pursuing the road to success on our continent and I implore you to believe in your own desire and readiness to work hard to pursue your own unique path to your own unique brand of success.

For me I have always been driven by insatiable thirst for knowledge and I have pursued my education with unwavering dedication.

I studied at respectable institutions within and outside Ghana, and worked at small and large, multinational US firms, honing my skills in economics, finance, business and entrepreneurship.

Armed with the acquired knowledge, I set out to make an impact in my country and on my continent.

You will encounter obstacles on your journey to success as I and others invariably have but you must remain undeterred. You must embrace failure as nothing more than the stepping stone towards success.

With each setback, you will emerge stronger as I did, more resilient and more determined to overcome hurdles that may come before you.

I can modestly say that I have made contributions to the business landscape of Ghana and Africa, creating jobs across the continent with multi-billion-dollar foreign exchange inflows through my pioneering role of the Remittance Service to Africa.

Contrary to critics, and I welcome constructive criticisms designed to help all of us improve but I ignore baseless criticisms designed purely to malign; I have played roles with others in the difficult attempts to restructure and improve Ghana Football, bringing about positive reforms of term limits and promoting transparency and accountability in the sport, highlighting the importance and indispensability of enforcing CLUB LICENSING STATUTES of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) as critical to the fundamental turnaround of Ghana Football.

I remain convinced that Sports in general, but Football in particular, if imbued with the proper and adequate investments in infrastructure, player welfare and managerial expertise can create good JOBS and add handsomely to Ghana’s and other Africa nations GDP as Football does in the UK, Spain, Germany, and other well-organized Football nations.

We have the talents but talents alone are not adequate for success in such highly competitive global sports.

I also cherish the spirit of giving back to one’s village community, his nation and his continent. We must invest back to help lift others up and together build our nations and continent.

Today as we meet to discuss the Youth of Ghana and Africa, we must draw inspiration from each other’s life journey.

We must realize that even in the face of adversity, we can rise above and achieve greatness.

Let education, hard work and resilience become the keys to unlocking our potential and making a meaningful impact in our communities.

To the Youth of Ghana and Africa, I urge you to embrace the spirit of achievement embedded in each of us. And we must let this spirit ignite the fire within us and motivate us to dream big, to set audacious goals, and to work tirelessly towards their realization.

Remember that success is not always measured by individual accomplishments but by the positive impact we make on the lives of others.

As we navigate the challenges of the modern world, let us be guided by our collective unwavering commitment to excellence, integrity, and the pursuit of a better future for Africa.

Together we can build a brighter and more prosperous Africa, one that is driven by the boundless potential of the Youth.

Thank you! God Bless Ghana, God Bless Africa!



Dr. Kofi Amoah (Citizen Kofi)

August 13, 2023


KOD