Students participating in activities marking this year’s United Nations International Youth Day in the Asokore Mampong Municipality of the Ashanti Region have expressed deep grief about the August 6th Z-9 military Helicopter Crash with a call on Ghanaian youth to take active part in activism against illegal gold mining otherwise known as, ‘galamsey’.
The gallant eight including three service men, two cabinet ministers and three Government and party officials died in the fatal crash in the forest range of Adanse Akrofuom, while travelling to Obuasi for the launch of the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme, aimed at tackling Ghana’s illegal gold mining menace
Reflecting on the theme for the 2025 IYD, youth empowerment for a sustainable future, the students described the tragic incident as an awakening call for Ghanaian youth to take a stand against galamsey and its present and future devastating effects on lives, livelihoods and the environment.
“It was very sad when I heard about the death of our heroes and I want to advise the youth in galamsey activities to shun it and rather engage in enterprises that will be beneficiary to both their lives and the future generations,” Hassan Abdul – Bassit, a student of the Al-Azariya Senior High School advocated.
“We have been taught about the sustainable environmental goals in the UNSDGs and I feel now than ever, the youth should be confident in advocacy. We have to desist from them so that our country can be counted among the developed countries in the world,” head girl for Al-Azariya SHS Saudat Ali told GHONE tv/Ultimate News.
The conference held by the No Business As Usual Youth Empowerment Center (NBU- YEC) of the SOS Villages – Kumasi location; brought together 250 students from the Nurul Ameen Islamic Senior High School, Parkoso SHS; Ibadur Rahman Academy SHS and the Al-Azariya Islamic SHS
Environmental Conservationist with the Forestry Commission Richard Asante
who enlightened the youth on Sustainable Development Goals and How They Impact Young Graduates, underscored the power of youth participation in efforts aimed at saving the environment.
“A young person goes to a galamsey sight and earns Ghc3000 a day and I am not sure which alternative livelihood will earn the young person that much. So it is about commitment attitudinal change and the desire to stop illegal mining and rather contribute to issues that can bring about sustainable development,” Asante noted.
He added that youth activism could add steam to the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) and Ghana’s Nationally Determined Conditions on climate sustainability.
Trainer and youth Coach with the NBU YEC, Abdul Manaf Suraj was optimistic the discussions would be especially beneficial to the youth, most of who live in the Zangos and are often exploited for illegal mining and other deleterious activities.
“In this community we already have a bad record of our youth getting into hooliganism and other stuff but today they have an in-depth knowledge about the consequences of galamsey. They know the risk involved and I am sure regardless how lucrative galamsey looks, they will make positive career decisions,” he stated with hope.
Youth Skills
Aside Environmental Sustainability and the UNSDGs, the confab further enlightened the youth about career choices, building resilience against daunting challenges and job opportunities existent in the digital space for youthful Ghanaians.
Adwoa Fosua Owusu Ofori, Founder of Women’s Haven Africa who shared her story of resilience, called for the reformation of Ghana’s education curriculum to equip the youth with demand driven skills pertinent to the digital economy.
She emphasized, “We are advancing and we need reforms. Content creation, digital marketing must be in our curriculum. How do we also inculcate soft skills like emotional intelligence, public speaking and all of these other soft skills in our curriculum?”
Programs Manager for the SOS Villages Kumasi location, Bernard Amoako pointed out that the topics were specially curated for the International Youth Day Commemoration as part of the contribution of his outfit to the future career and behavioral outcomes of the youth.
“This was a great opportunity to engage with the SHS students who will soon leave school, to help them make the best decision for themselves and our lives. We got experts to speak to them to encourage them in making informed choices as they venture into a world which is full of challenges,” he observed.
International Youth Day 2025 marked annually on 12th August; International Youth Day draws attention to the challenges confronting youth, contributions of the youth to socio-economic development and highlights policy directions required to maximize potential for youth across the world.
This year’s theme ‘youth empowerment for a sustainable future’ form’s part of the call of the United Nations to advocate a youth led action against acts that threaten the future of the world’s natural resources, quality of life, peace and cohesion.
By: Ivan K. Heathcote – Fumador.
