... Ghana is Our Home



By Sandow Seidu Kpebu: GFM Radio/KMC Communications



Commentary



The Ghana High Commission in London in collaboration with the Ghana Union is organising Ghana Youth Day on Saturday the 2nd of October 2010 at the Tottenham Leisure Centre, North London.



The theme for the forum is; Our Youth, Our Future. The day will serve as a platform to encourage the youth to be ambassadors for Ghana through interaction, networking, marketing and publicity. Those that have entrepreneurial skills would be mobilised to take the advantage of the investment opportunities in Ghana.



Mobilising the youth to go back to their roots is so important to Prof. Kwaku Danso-Boafo, the Ghana High Commissioner to UK, that he has so far reached out to many identifiable youth groups across UK. He has met students in Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and other major cities to acquaint him with their conditions.



What makes the occasion unique is the collaboration between the High Commission and the Ghana Union to address such an important issue at a time some Ghanaian youth are increasingly involved in violent acts. Such collaborative effort promotes unity and understanding among Ghanaians.



The youth is the future of Ghana and therefore harnessing their potentials now for the development of Ghana is as important as ever. Especially so that it comes at a time Ghana is celebrating the centenary of the Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah. Dr Nkrumah, Patrice Lumumba, Julius Nyerere, Nelson Mandela and all the African great leaders were youth before rising to become what they became.

The leadership qualities of these leaders must be instilled in our youth if our country is to progress. They were brave, selfless, hardworking and above all nationalists. They woke up from their slumber at a very young age and took the bull by the horns. The youth of today must emulate such qualities for the advancement of our homeland Ghana.



The High Commissioner, Prof. Kwaku Danso-Boafo is undertaking a challenging task to find the young fellows who are neither a wit in their own eyes, nor fools in the eye of the world. The young fellows are those who hold the key to our future being. About two decades ago no one mentioned the youth as they never were considered central to society’s advancement. However, fast tracked two decades later, they are indispensable and society has no choice but to accept that fact. Benjamin Disraeli states in Sybil that “the youth of a nation are the trustees of posterity”.

As an individual, there is only so much the High Commissioner can do. The success of the forthcoming forum depends upon the support and role of the Ghanaian community in UK. The stakeholders have a major role to play and a call to duty to ensure that the Ghana Youth Day 2010 becomes a success, not only that, but also a benchmark for other High Commissions, embassies and all civil society groups with similar vision.

The forum is also an opportunity for us to hear the voices of the youth. Logan Pearsall Smith writing in ‘Age and Death’ states that “what music is more enchanting than the voices of young people, when you can’t hear what they say?” The enchanting and alluring voices of the youth are very important as it will bring out their perspective of life.



The Ghana Youth Day 2010 taking place at Tottenham Leisure Centre in North London must serve as a curtain raiser to more of such initiatives outside of Ghana. Encouraging the youth to return to Ghana to work, invest and enjoy the peace and stability in the country is not too much to ask for. With collective efforts, the youth can be mobilised and their expertise utilised for the development of the country.



Source: Sandow Seidu Kpebu

GFM Radio/KMC Communications