Comrade Steven Nhyira Odarteifio has declared his intention to contest for the position of National Youth Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
In his declaration speech, he called for a new approach to youth leadership, saying the youth wing of the party must go beyond mobilising young people for elections and help create economic opportunities for them.
According to him, many young Ghanaians supported the NDC because they believed in a Ghana where people could have opportunities regardless of their political connections or how well known they were.
He said the party must create space for young people with ideas, a record of service and the ability to deliver to contribute to its leadership.
Mr Odarteifio pointed to government programmes including the National Apprenticeship Programme and the One Million Coders Programme, stressing that such initiatives would only make an impact if young people knew about them and could access them.
“Programmes alone do not change lives. People must know about them. People must be able to reach them. People must be organised around them,” he stated.
He said his experience in youth development, agriculture and enterprise had exposed him to the challenges facing young people and helped him develop practical solutions.
According to him, interventions he had supported had created opportunities for more than 100,000 young people across the country.
He cited work involving agricultural enclaves, equipment for young farmers, support for local artisans to manufacture agricultural machinery, opportunities for women processors in northern Ghana and agricultural education in tertiary institutions.
“When I speak about youth empowerment, I am not speaking from a textbook. When I speak about jobs and opportunity, I am not assuring you for the sake of it. I have seen the problems. I have built solutions. I have persisted,” he said.
Mr Odarteifio said, if elected, he would seek to help economically impact one million more young people before the end of the Mahama administration.
He said his vision included connecting young people to capital, skills, businesses, agriculture, technology and markets, while also supporting agricultural initiatives that could create jobs.
He further argued that the NDC needed a youth wing that could mobilise young people not only during elections but also between elections.
“I want a youth wing that helps convert political power into economic prosperity,” he stated.
Mr Odarteifio also used historical examples to argue that leadership should be based on ideas, service and ability rather than wealth, political connections or popularity.
He mentioned Yaa Asantewaa, Kwame Nkrumah and former President Jerry John Rawlings as examples of people who rose to prominence despite not initially being the most powerful or politically connected figures.
With what he described as faith in Ghana’s youth, Mr Odarteifio formally announced his decision to contest the National Youth Organiser position.
He appealed to young party members, unemployed graduates, entrepreneurs and grassroots organisers who feel overlooked, saying their readiness to lead should be judged by their ideas, service, character, impact and ability to deliver.
He said his decision to contest was also aimed at supporting President John Dramani Mahama and his government’s efforts to create opportunities and economic dignity for young people.
Mr Odarteifio pledged to work towards a party where young people would not have to rely on money or connections to have their voices heard.
He urged young Ghanaians to believe in their potential, insisting that their dreams were not too big and their names were not too small to make an impact.
By: Jacob Aggrey