Sometimes, I sit down and ponder on the future of Ghana and Africa. We always say, the YOUTH ARE THE FUTURE OF OUR COUNTRY. Is that wholly true? To me, the question is not about whether we are the ‘future’ or the ‘now’ of our country. But it’s a question of preparedness. Are our youth prepared to take up the challenge of the future? The unanimous answer is always YES! The youth are ready. And I agree. We are ready because there is not so much to learn and to apply at the top there. Most of us today, know already how to skin 20%, off a contract. We already know how to divert communal/public funds into our private accounts. We already know the dirty ways of ‘playing the political game and winning the votes of the people.
This is what STUDENT LEADERSHIP in Ghana has grown to become. Know how to convince the people and win their votes, even if it means buying it from them and reimbursing yourself with the communal funds upon wining power. Youth leaders or particularly, we the STUDENT LEADERS already know how to bloat budgets. It’s a sad reality for us. The dirty remnants of our national politics have crept into youth leadership.
Government seems to lack a clear policy direction on YOUTH LEADERSHIP TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT. LEADERSHIP TRAINING, YES! AND I MEAN LEADERSHIP TRAINING. The whole process seems to have been left at the mercy of STUDENT POLITICS. And it sounds interesting how every STUDENT LEADER LEAVES OFFICE WITH A FUTURE AMBITION OF CONTESTING FOR MP IN THEIR CONSTITUENCIES and we achieve it, in most cases-except where the old gurus are yet to retire, at most by 2016. To me, the greatest punishment successive governments of Ghana have inflicted upon the development prospects of Ghana is to have left LEADERSHIP TRAINING in the hands of STUDENT POLITICS on campuses and at CONGRESSES. The least said about the Congresses, the better. Because in the end, we all claim, ‘JACK! THE STUDENT POLITICS IS NOT ANY DIFFERENT FROM THE NATIONALPOLITICS. IT’S EVEN TOUGHER DOWN HERE’. How sad.
I believe, moving forward as a nation, Government should set up a clear institution for LEADERSHIP TRAINING FOR THE YOUTH, whether incorporated in the academic curriculum as an extracurricular activity or outside of it. It should focus on helping the youth understand the ever-expanding CIVIL SOCIETY, GLOBALIZATION, THIRD PARTY GROUPS LIKE NGOS AND CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS, their intended and unintended consequences on development. Africa should channel resources into helping current youth/student leaders understand the roles we can play in our quest to attain the MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS and fighting CLIMATE CHANGE. These are the tasks of our generation. It is for these reasons that the US Department of State and other advanced countries commit up to $232million to building the leadership capacities of our youth through their various cultural-exchange programmes like the FULLBRIGHT Scholarship, YES (Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study ), IVLP (International Visitor Leadership Program), IMET, Peace Corps, PPAP, etc. I believe government should shift emphasis to these paths as ways of securing the development of our country because indeed, STUDENT POLITICS, since the return to democracy, from 1992 has failed as woefully, as a nation and I say it again woefully without fear or favour.



The writer, AHMED SALIM NUHU, is the current president of the College of Art and Social Sciences Students’ Council, KNUST.
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