The Acting Chief Executive of the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA), Alexander Kofi-Mensah Mould, has challenged universities across Africa to move beyond producing graduates and instead, cultivate nation-builders equipped to solve real societal challenges.
Delivering a keynote address at the University of Education, Winneba’s Seminar on Conflict and Nation Building on the theme: ‘The Role of Youth as Partners for Growth and Development in Africa,’ Mr Mould proposed that every graduate should leave university with five critical capabilities: critical thinking, execution, value creation, collaboration and strong character.
He said it was time the youth rejected the long-held notion that they are merely “leaders of tomorrow” but indispensable partners in building Ghana’s prosperity today.
“The future is not built tomorrow. It is built today; in classrooms, laboratories, workshops, businesses, communities and universities,” he told an audience of students, academics and dignitaries.
Using examples from Singapore, South Korea, Finland and Botswana, the MiDA CEO explained that prosperous nations were not necessarily those endowed with abundant natural resources but those that deliberately invested in capable people and strong institutions.
He described development as the sustained increase in a nation’s ability to solve its own problems, emphasising that prosperity was achieved through innovation, productivity and disciplined execution rather than rhetoric.
“Resources create potential. Capability converts potential into prosperity,” he declared, urging African governments and educational institutions to focus on developing human capital capable of transforming ideas into measurable results.
He noted that while many countries have sound policies and ambitious development plans, they often struggle with implementation.
“Ideas alone do not build nations. Execution does,” he said, describing implementation as a national capability that governments, businesses and universities must intentionally develop.
Mr Mould encouraged student to replace the question, “Where can I find a job?” with “What problem can I learn to solve?”
He stated that societies reward individuals who consistently solve important problems and urged young Africans to invest in skills that create value wherever they go.
Mr Mould also paid glowing tribute to the Chief Executive of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Edudzi Tameklo, and the leadership he has brought to the authority, living proof that young Africans are already shaping national development.
Furthermore, he said Mr Tameklo’s leadership demonstrates that age should never be a barrier to innovation, service or public leadership and challenged students to dream boldly while preparing diligently for future opportunities.
Mr Mould urged the next generation to reject mediocrity, entitlement and blame, and instead embrace responsibility, integrity and disciplined execution.
Moreover, he maintained that history would judge today’s generation not by the speeches it delivered or conferences it attended, but by the institutions it strengthened, the opportunities it created and the generation it prepared.
“The Ghana you hope for will not appear because someone else imagined it. It will appear because your generation prepares for it, builds it, protects it and improves it,” the MiDA CEO emphasised.
FROM TIMES REPORTER, WINNEBA
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