President Of youth icons Ghana, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Nana Yaw Osei Darkwa, has expressed concern over the neglect of the country's youth by government.
In an exclusive chat with DAILY GUIDE SPORTS at his Ring Road Central office in Accra, he pointed out that the youth of Ghana continued to bring honour to the country, yet very little had been invested in them.
He mentioned a long list of achievers like boxing legend Azumah Nelson, the gold winning Starlets '91 and '95 team, silver winning '93 and '97 Starlets team, the 2009 U-20 World Champions and recently 800m gold winning Youth Olympian Martha Bissah as classical examples.
He bemoaned how the youth continued to project the country internationally from sports through education to entertainment, yet governments and sports authorities fail to invest in them to realize their full potential.
To him, paying lip service and hiding behind the sage 'the youth are the future leaders' was not enough to unlock and tap the full
potential of the class of people who continued to project the country in international events.
He suggested that a conscious effort must be made by government to equip the youth, sustain their talents, and project them to the top.
Using Martha as a classical example, he said government and corporate Ghana should support her to ensure that she maximizes her potential, and not dump her like had been the case with many young athletes and sports personalities.
'If Martha was an American or a European, the system (corporate entities and government) would have accorded her the due recognition and supported her on various platforms just to make sure she realizes her potential.
'I am therefore urging government to accord Martha the courtesies of a heroin to act as motivation to up-and-coming sports personalities.
What would be wrong if a corporate body adopts this girl who has shown so much talent and invest in her future as part of their corporate social responsibility?
'We have failed as a nation, when it comes to identifying talents and pushing them to the top. It is high time the leadership of this country rose up and made a deliberate effort to invest in its youth.
'It is not enough to celebrate their efforts quickly, but we should make deliberate attempts to put into their hands that which will sustain their victories, empower them to face challenges that will come their way,' he added.
He summed up his argument saying, 'Any society that discriminates against its youth does that against its
own future.'
Youth Icons is an NGO that primarily seeks to empower the youth to realize their full potential.
By Kofi Owusu Aduonum
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