By Florence Afriyie Mensah
Kumasi, May 31, GNA – Transformational leadership is needed as a necessary tool to improve the economy of a country and help shape the future of its people.
Mr. Andy Osei Okrah, President of Young Professionals in Youth Coalition (YPYC), a youth empowerment advocacy group, who stated this, said it was important to equip transformational leaders with essential skills that would propel them to be visionary, humble, strategic thinkers and manage time judiciously.
Mr. Okrah, who was speaking at a leadership seminar and launch of 15th anniversary of YPYC in Kumasi, noted that, Ghana could change its fortunes by focusing on good leadership.
The seminar, held under the topic “essential leadership skills for your next transition”, was put together by the YPYC in partnership with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
Mr Okrah cited the YPYC for instance, as one that had in the past 15 years developed and raised transformational leaders for Ghana and beyond, engaging directly about 30,000 young people.
The organization builds the youngsters’ capacities to lead, become assertive and build career paths for themselves.
Mr. Okrah said the plan over the years was to organise events that brought together role models to motivate these youth and take them through life plans and prospects, adding that “all those who have had the chances to meet the role models have upgraded and are doing well for themselves.”
The seminar, among other things, exposed participants, students of the KNUST, to strategies of becoming good leaders in society.
Professor Kabila Abass, Lecturer, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, KNUST, said the College was interested in everything that bothered on leadership.
To this end, the College had established its own leadership academy to train students in leadership with the requisite skills and competencies to lead society towards socioeconomic transformation.
He asserted that it solidified the firm belief in leadership, knowing that everything was dependent on good leadership.
Prof. Abass said countries in Africa, including Ghana, were in troubling times where economies were crumbling and thousands of young people unable to find jobs.
He said it was a good time for transformational leaders and managers to avail themselves for national development.
GNA