From E.T. Mensah to Haruna Iddrisu and the new contenders, the NDC must decide whether its next youth leader will simply mobilise foot soldiers or turn their sacrifices into opportunity.
The race to become the next National Youth Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is about more than who gets elected to occupy an office. It is about the future of a political tradition that has depended heavily on young people to organise, campaign, defend the party and deliver electoral victories.
With incumbent George Opare Addo, popularly known as Pablo, not seeking re-election, the contest presents an opportunity for the party to consider what its National Youth Wing needs for the next phase of its political journey. The question is not simply who can inherit the office, but who understands the expectations of the young people whose energy keeps the party alive at the grassroots.
The NDC is in government under President John Dramani Mahama. That changes the stakes. When the party was in opposition, its youth activists had a common and immediate objective: return the NDC to power. Now that the party governs, those same young people want to know what political power means for their lives.
For the unemployed graduate, the struggling entrepreneur, the constituency youth organiser and the foot soldier who spent months campaigning, the question is straightforward: what has changed, and what is going to change next?
That is the question every aspirant must answer.
THE RACE IS TAKING SHAPE
Among the aspirants who have publicly declared their intentions to contest the National Youth Organiser position are Emmanuel Okai Mintah, Basiera Sankara and Steven Nhyira Odarteifio. Their declarations have come at different times, and their campaign messages point to different priorities for the Youth Wing.
Emmanuel Okai Mintah — 2 July 2026
Okai Mintah was the first of these three to publicly declare his intention to contest the position. In a statement reported by MyJoyOnline on 2 July 2026, he presented his candidacy as the product of years of service to the party and its youth structures.
As Chairperson of the National Youth Working Committee and Head of Operations for the NDC Youth Wing’s 2024 campaign, he has pointed to his experience in party organisation and electoral mobilisation.
His proposals include a correspondence desk through which young members can submit concerns and requests for opportunities, alongside stronger engagement with tertiary institutions and youth branches.
The central test for his campaign will be whether his experience can be translated into a practical system that responds to the concerns of party members. The youth do not need another office that receives complaints and leaves them unanswered. They need a leadership structure that follows through.
Basiera Saankara — 25 August 2026
Basiera Saankara, the Upper West Regional Youth Organiser, declared his national ambition at the NDC Upper West Regional Youth Wing and Tertiary Education Institutions Network retreat in Wa.
MyJoyOnline reported the declaration on 25 August 2026. Graphic Online subsequently published a report on 1 September.
Saankara has drawn attention to his more than two decades of involvement in the party, including his experience in grassroots organisation and regional leadership.
His candidacy places organisational experience and knowledge of the party’s structures at the centre of the debate. The question delegates must consider is how that regional experience would translate into effective national leadership.
A national youth organiser must understand the realities of constituencies across Ghana, not only the demands of a particular region. Northern Ghana, the coastal belt, the middle belt and the urban centres all have different economic pressures and political concerns. A national strategy must recognise those differences without allowing regional considerations to become barriers to equal opportunity.
Steven Nhyira Odarteifio — 14 September 2026
Steven Nhyira Odarteifio formally announced his candidacy at a press conference at the Ghana International Press Centre on Monday, 14 September 2026. Graphic Online reported the declaration that day, while MyJoyOnline covered his proposals on 15 September.
Odarteifio is making economic empowerment the defining feature of his campaign.
He argues that the Youth Wing should do more than mobilise people for elections. It should help connect young Ghanaians to jobs, skills, enterprise, agricultural opportunities, technology and markets.
He has also highlighted irrigation development in northern Ghana, proposing a dedicated irrigation fund to help young farmers cultivate throughout the year rather than depend on a single farming season.
His message speaks to a question that has followed Ghanaian political parties for years: what happens to the young people after the campaign posters come down?
However, proposals to create economic opportunities must be accompanied by credible implementation plans. Delegates should ask how the proposed initiatives would be financed, which institutions would be responsible, how beneficiaries would be selected and how progress would be measured.
A good campaign speech can attract attention. A workable programme must survive scrutiny.
These are three identifiable aspirants whose declaration dates are supported by the reports cited above. They should not automatically be treated as the complete field, as other contenders may have declared or may yet emerge.
A HISTORY THAT SHOULD NOT BE FORGOTTEN
The NDC’s National Youth Wing has a history that predates the current contest.
One of its notable early leaders was E.T. Mensah, who served as National Youth Organiser before Haruna Iddrisu took over in 2002.
Iddrisu, a former President of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), won the position at a youth delegates’ conference in Prampram in April 2002. He went on to build a national political profile and later served as Minister for Communications under President Mills administration and currently Education Minister under President Mahama’s second term.
His trajectory demonstrates that the Youth Wing can serve as a platform for developing political leaders who eventually take on responsibilities beyond party organisation.
In 2010, Iddrisu stepped down from the position, bringing an extended period of leadership to an end.
George Opare Addo later emerged as a major figure in the same tradition. He was elected National Youth Organiser in October 2018, defeating Yaw Brogya Genfi and Wonder Madillo. In December 2022, he retained the position after defeating Brogya Genfi in another contest.
The historical record also includes figures who served as deputies and later became prominent in national politics. Osman Abdulai Ayariga, for instance, served as Deputy National Youth Organiser before taking on other public responsibilities.
Sources: Ghana News Agency report on Haruna Iddrisu’s election in 2002, Graphic Online on the 2018 election and Graphic Online on the 2022 election.
This history matters because the office has never been merely about organising rallies. It has also been a training ground for political leadership, negotiation, mobilisation and public service.
But history alone cannot determine the next leader’s suitability. The political and economic circumstances facing young Ghanaians today differ from those confronting earlier generations. The next National Youth Organiser must understand the traditions of the party without assuming that yesterday’s methods will automatically solve today’s problems.
THE REAL TEST: WHAT DOES THE YOUTH WING DELIVER?
The NDC’s youth activists helped the party return to government in the 2024 general elections. Their contribution deserves recognition. Yet recognition cannot be the end of the conversation.
Across Ghana, young people continue to confront unemployment, underemployment, limited access to capital, rising living costs and uncertainty about their prospects. Party activists face an additional frustration when they believe that political connections determine access to opportunities.
The next National Youth Organiser must be prepared to engage the government on these concerns while recognising that a party position does not give its holder unilateral control over public appointments, jobs or state programmes.
The Youth Wing must not become a queue in which loyalty is rewarded through personal favours. Nor should young members be encouraged to believe that every government opportunity belongs to party activists.
The task is to help young people access legitimate opportunities fairly, strengthen their skills, develop businesses and participate meaningfully in national development.
This requires more than mobilisation during election years. It requires a year-round programme of engagement, training, policy advocacy and transparent communication.
It also requires the National Youth Organiser to speak honestly when government programmes are not delivering as expected. Supporting a government does not mean abandoning the responsibility to communicate the concerns of the people who brought it to power.
That distinction will matter throughout the NDC’s current period in office.
EXPERIENCE, IDEAS AND ACCOUNTABILITY
The candidates are approaching the race from different backgrounds.
Okai Mintah brings experience in the party’s national youth structures and campaign operations. Saankara points to years of grassroots involvement and regional leadership. Odarteifio has placed economic mobilisation and the conversion of political power into practical opportunities at the centre of his message.
These differences provide delegates with issues to examine rather than reasons to settle the contest prematurely.
How will each aspirant finance proposed initiatives? What mechanisms will ensure that constituency organisers receive support? How will the Youth Wing engage government appointees? What measurable improvements should members expect after the first year?
And, perhaps most importantly, how will the next leader ensure that young people outside the inner circles of party influence are not forgotten?
The answers should be clear enough for delegates to compare the proposals on their merits.
The party should also encourage open debate without allowing disagreements over candidates to become permanent divisions. A competitive election can strengthen the NDC if it produces serious discussion about the future of the Youth Wing. It can weaken the party if personal attacks replace policy and if losing candidates are treated as enemies.
Unity is not the absence of competition. It is the willingness to accept the outcome of a fair contest and continue working together afterwards.
THE SUCCESSION MUST MEAN SOMETHING
The departure of an incumbent from an electoral contest creates an opening for new leadership, but a change of personnel does not automatically amount to institutional progress.
The NDC should use this moment to ask what kind of National Youth Wing it wants to build before the 2028 general elections and beyond.
Does it want an organisation that becomes highly active only when votes are needed? Or does it want one that develops young leaders, promotes economic participation, communicates government policies effectively and holds its own leadership accountable?
The next National Youth Organiser will inherit a political structure with a long history and considerable expectations. The job will demand the ability to mobilise supporters, work with national executives, engage government officials and maintain relationships across constituencies and regions.
No single campaign promise can substitute for that responsibility.
For delegates, the task is to examine the candidates’ records, test their proposals and decide which vision is most likely to meet the needs of the Youth Wing. For the aspirants, the responsibility is to explain not only what they want to achieve, but how they intend to achieve it.
The NDC’s young people have spent years helping to win political power. They now want to see that power translated into fairer access to opportunities, stronger grassroots structures and a more responsive party.
The next National Youth Organiser must understand that expectation from day one.
The office is not a prize for years of loyalty. It is a responsibility to a generation that wants its sacrifices recognised and its future taken seriously.
Who is your best choice as the next NYO?
Kelly West #KellyWest #KWP #NoBraDay #NDCDecides #NationalYouthOrganiser #NDCYouthWing
Michael Agbesi Kelly
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