By Solomon Gumah
Tamale, May 9, GNA – The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) at the University for Development Studies (UDS) Tamale has held a day’s conference to empower students with the rightful information to shape their leadership skills for national development.
The conference was further intended to inspire and encourage students to express interest in leadership positions that will facilitate the country’s overall development.
The conference was organised by the UDS – NUGS in collaboration with Alice Talkworld Organisation and Prince Sadat Change Makers Foundation, under the theme “Finding your Feet”.
It brought together key stakeholders within the women empowerment and advocacy space, youth groups, students from some Senior High schools in Tamale, as well as leadership and other business experts.
Mr Issah Abdul – Manan, UDS – NUGS President, in a presentation said the conference was intended to inspire, empower and uplift the spirit of young people to be ambassadors of transformative leadership and strong advocates of women empowerment that would resonate in sustainable development.
He said the theme was carefully selected to signify the process of discovering one’s strength, passion and purpose and taking the needed steps towards personal growth and self-improvement.
“The theme seeks to encourage individuals to embrace challenges, overcome obstacles and to navigate uncertainties with resilience and determination,” he said.
Mr Abdul-Manan stressed that it was important for the youth to eschew all forms of misconceptions and preconceived notions associated with young people in leadership, women empowerment and entrepreneurship, and encouraged them to embrace the new era of inclusivity for sustainable development.
Miss Alice Yakubu, Chief Executive Officer of Alice Talkworld Organisation, a youth advocacy NGO, spoke on the importance of networking and capacity building for youth participation in decision-making processes in the country.
She said young people would not get the platform to lead in national development if they don’t strategise, network, enhance their skills and prove that they were competent enough to lead the change that they desire in the country.
Ms Yakubu admonished them not to allow the few setbacks they might have encountered in pursuit of excellence to discourage them and remain resolute and optimistic about their dreams and aspirations.
Hajia Alima Sagito-Saeed, the Executive Director of the Savannah Women Integrated Development Agency (SWIDA-GH), an NGO, expressed need for men to perceive women as partners in development and not competitors.
She emphasised that some restrictive norms coupled with incidences of gender stereotyping had been a huge hindrance to addressing some of the challenges women and girls face in their quest to participate in the development of the country.
Hajia Sagito-Saeed called for the government to facilitate the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill to help give more legal backing to women empowerment.
Mr Alhassan Musah Timtooni, the Speaker for the Northern Regional Youth Parliament, said the days where young people were sidelined in major decision-making processes in the country were over, adding that the voices of the youth must be counted to reflect the collective view of Ghanaians.
He urged young people not to allow themselves to be used as agents of violence, especially in the upcoming general elections, saying that they should rather leverage on their youthful exuberance to champion peace and stability.
GNA