Active citizenship, inclusive leadership essential tools for navigating today’s complex World -STAR-Ghana Foundation Executive Director
The Executive Director of STAR-Ghana Foundation, Alhaji Ibrahim-Tanko Amidu, has highlighted storytelling, active citizenship, and inclusive leadership as essential tools for navigating today’s complex world.
He shared these insights at a public lecture hosted in Accra by the Institute of Work, Employment and Society (IWES) at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), on the theme: ‘Lessons from Experience: A Civil Society Leader’s Journey in a Changing World.’
The lecture aimed to inspire multiple generations through the real-life journey of one of Ghana’s leading civil society voices.
Alhaji Amidu reflected on the communication gap between generations, stressing that effective leadership requires not just facts but relatable stories and shared human experiences. “Storytelling shapes how we view ourselves and our place in the world,” he said, adding that, “But storytelling must evolve to stay relevant.”
Drawing on his time at the University of Ghana, he described how poverty, discipline, and determination shaped his path. “I arrived at Legon with nothing but determination,” he said, noting that leaders must never forget the context of their journey.
He then urged parents to be more engaged in their children’s upbringing, warning against the dangers of leaving this role to social media. “You can’t outsource parenting to TikTok or Facebook,” he stressed.
Addressing the youth, he called for integrity and purpose in leadership saying, “Leadership is not about titles or suits. It’s about responsibility and the courage to act—even when the system says wait.”
Calling for a mindset shift, he encouraged humility and hands-on learning over the obsession with titles and jargon. He shared how mentorship, fieldwork, and self-sacrifice helped shape his early career.
He questioned the decline in cross-cultural interaction among youth, noting that isolation limits empathy and national unity. To address this, he advocated voluntary youth service to promote skills development, integration, and a culture of volunteerism.
Alhaji Amidu, who is also a Member of the Constitutional Review Committee, warned against foreign donor dominance in development work, arguing for models that reflect local values and priorities. “Who defines value?” he asked, insisting that community respect is just as important as donor metrics.
He called on civil society to facilitate rather than echo donor agendas, and to redefine active citizenship as practical everyday action, adding that, “When you see a need—step in. Use your resources and social capital.”
The event culminated in the official launch of a newly compiled book “International Labour Day”,
containing seven years’ worth of May Day Lectures—each offering valuable insight into labour, governance, civil service, and national development.
Launching the book, the Director of Public Affairs – UPSA, Mrs Aba Lokko, described the book as a timely and essential contribution to ongoing national discourse. Among the featured works is a compelling research piece by a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Management Studies, UPSA, Dr Gerald Dapaah on the politicisation of the civil service, using the United States as a case study.
Though U.S.-based, she said, the findings were said to resonate strongly with the Ghanaian experience, where public servants often face politically motivated displacements.
Another chapter, authored by the Chief Justice, Gertrude Araba Esaaba Torkornoo, explored the link between ethical leadership and workplace productivity. It argued that strong values and work ethics were critical to building an efficient and credible public sector, and recommended structural reforms to reinforce accountability and discipline
BY STEPHANIE BIRIKORANG
