Nana Kwame Bediako, the New Africa Foundation’s founder and Kwarleyz Group’s CEO, has said that it is important Africans do not limit the potential of the youths, rather utilise their talents as a valuable workforce.
During an ARISE NEWS interview on Friday, Bediako emphasised the importance of addressing Africa’s foremost challenge, which is fear, as a prerequisite for encouraging young people to step into leadership roles.
“The youth are growing up with fear,” he said, “This fear is eradicating their hope.
“I think hope is a very strong thing that Africans need.”
He remarked that individuals invest 21 years of their lives in education, only to discover that there are no employment opportunities or openings available.
“Africa doesn’t have any sort of platforms, like industrialization. Our economy is based on foreign influence, and that is robbing the future of our children,” he added.
Bediako also mentioned that Africa possesses a significant and youthful population that can be harnessed as a valuable labour force, emphasising the importance of Africans capitalising on this demographic advantage.
He said, “Some of us are getting our first jobs at the age of 25, that is too late.”
He spoke of the value of time when it comes to accumulating wealth, and he stressed that time should not outpace the youths, allowing them to age without initiating the journey toward wealth accumulation.
While Bediako doesn’t harbour any issues with elderly individuals and values their wisdom when it comes to giving advice, he doesn’t anticipate those who have already surpassed their own future to be the ones shaping our future.
He stated, “Africans are restricting the youth to go past their potential.
“Africans need to give the youth a chance to lead the future.”
He further suggested that there should be a harmonious equilibrium between the older generation providing opportunities for the youth and the youth seizing those opportunities.
Considering the presence of coups in some African nations with “sit-tight” leaders, Bediako said that the ongoing coups constitute a revolution, which could be either a redemptive or a transformative one.
While he made it clear that he is not advocating for people to oppose democracy, he expressed the view that it is now time for us to assume responsibility for determining how we govern our own population, rather than relying on foreign policies to dictate our political principles or the policies that guide an entire nation.
“If I could contribute to the current situation of Africa,” he stated, “I would say that the time has come to see that our resources, which are human resources and mineral resources, are things that we need to control ourselves.”
He suggested that it’s essential for us to establish our own industrial platforms for goods management and develop distribution channels to serve our own needs.
“This would give jobs to the youth, and this would give chances to the older men,” he added.
Finally, Bediako emphasised that Africa must integrate its cultural approaches to leadership with democratic principles in order to achieve the desired impact on its nations.
He said, “If some of these leaders have built the right economy for their country for the citizens to be sustainable, then I don’t see why we should complain about their governance.
“If democracy is suitable for their country, and the people are living well… then why are we complaining.”
According to Bediako, many foreign policies tend to exert control and provide directives on governing nations; perhaps it’s worth delving deeper into local policies.
He said, “We can have international commercial relationships, not foreign policies and influences that come and deregulate our country.”
Frances Ibiefo
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