A Day Spent at the ilead Summit

part 1.

After a fortnight attending the Accra youth summit, i spent another

resourceful day at the maiden edition of the iLead SUMMIT 2013 organised by the

International Youth Council, Ghana Chapter. iLEAD an acronym for Innovations,

Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Development was much

attended by tertiary student and i think i was the only non-tertiary

participant and also held at the Ghana Telecom University College.

Speakers were; Esi Yankah of Africa Mentors Network, Franklin Cudjoe of

Imani Ghana, Pierre Brunache Jr of African Fertilizer and Agribusiness

partnership, Mr. Anis Haffar of Gate Institute, Daniel Batidam of

African Parliamentarians’ Network Against Corruption and Rahul Sapra of

Fine Pack Ltd made great impacts into us the participants, follow me as i unfold the

told at the summit in this series.

Organise on the theme: The African Cheetah; Leading the Next

Generation of Africa Renaissance was commenced by a key note address by

the National Director, National Youth Authority, Ghana, Mrs Sedinam

Tamakloe which commended the organisers and assured them of her support. Talking to

us she made us know of the new era that we are moving into.

As African cheetah we can turn the continent around. We need to take our rightful

place. We have the knowledge, energy and zeal that describes

the cheetah. She made notice that Ghana has the largest youth population on the

continent, and we must lead the innovation everywhere we find

ourselves, be it, governance, business, home etc. Giving examples of

some key innovations of from the Alexander Bell’s Telephone to the

smartphone of modern days, Telegrams to emails and the social media

Which she challenged us that most contribution were from young people

just like us we are. For Africa to have a place we must learn to

innovate. And also how to do it matters and everyone can do it. Bill

Gate was not an university graduate before he founded Microsoft.

Innovation is for everyday life and we can make it happen, she

concluded. Speakers took turns as Esi Yankah, a very young lady and

indeed a youth, thrilled the participants with her message speaking on

the theme: WATCH ME DO IT.

Before starting she told us she enjoys speaking to peers to move them to

greater heights which really inspired that i can and will make it. She

warned us against setting unrealistic goals and having unrealistic

mentors. Believing in herself is what makes her dreams manifest. We need

to be confident and not afraid of failure. She also likes taking risks

and said one thing that most of us youths lack is taking action. We must

look beyond money as our problem solver. She said to achieve goals you

need to meet may people who will tell you;

1. You can’t do it.

2. it is not possible.

3. Or through their actions tell you, you can’t do it.

4. Or help you- doubt your ability.

Sharing her personal story, she pursued visual arts at Wesley girls SHS

and moved to study Business Administrations in marketing in the US. In

this situation of finding herself among different people, being an

African doesn’t discourage her for contesting for several positions in

another man’s land. She contested the Class secretary, class president,

president of international students in her university in the US and won

all of them, yes that is an African woman. She didn’t keep silent

mentioning the fact that she is beautiful and intelligent. Yes, an

African woman witter brain. After her masters again in integrated

marketing communications consultant from Emerson College in Boston, USA,

she moved back to Ghana with the passion of mentoring other young

people which she started shortly after working as a consultant for her

day. Then realisation of her dreams started… Keep tune to this dial for

more.(part two.)

AKPAH PRINCE

akpahprince.wordpress.com