Asante Monarch Otumfuo Osei Tutu II says the youth of Ghana and Africa must stop trudging through pernicious deserts to flee home in search of greener pastures outside.

Otumfuo said he cries in his heart any time he hears news of hordes of African youth traversing deadly terrains, some perishing in the process, just to get out of their countries.

Describing the phenomenon as a blot on the conscience of Africa, the Asante Monarch said at a durbar to climax his 15th anniversary ceremony in Kumasi on Sunday that there are no greener pastures than Africa’s own.

“We can make it if we try,” Otumfuo Osei Tutu said. According to him, “home is where the glory is”, adding that however hard the challenges are, Ghanaians have no choice than to pull themselves together and forge ahead.

“That is what China did. That is the way to greatness,” he observed, admonishing that: “We must not run away from our own country.”

He said the “glory of Africa is the glory of Ghana and the Glory of Ghana is the glory of Asanteman.”

Otumfuo also bemoaned the situation where in his view; Politics has replaced “task masters” with “talk masters”.

Speaking on the theme: “Rekindling the spirit of creativity, innovation and enterprise through traditional leadership,” Otumfuo Osei Tutu said it’s about time Ghanaians and Africans rekindled their sense of creativity, as pertained centuries ago.

He bemoaned that the innovativeness and enterprising spirit of the Ghanaian and African has gone into hibernation for too long.

The traditional leader said it was important the rekindle those spirits to help battle the common enemies including poverty, disease, illiteracy and social evils combining to suppress Ghanaians and Africans.

At the ceremony were high profile dignitaries including former Ghanaian President's Jerry Rawlings, John Kufuor and former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo. Also in attendance were former First Ladies Mrs Rawlings and Mrs Kufuor. Other dignitaries from Africa and other parts of the world were also at the ceremony.