Antoinette Kwofie, Chief Finance Officer of MTN Ghana, has urged young people to take deliberate steps toward their goals, stressing that preparation, perseverance and guidance are key to shaping both personal and national futures.
Speaking in an interview with journalists during the 10th Youth Empowerment Summit of Martha Inspires Foundation in Tamale over the weekend, Kwofie reminded students that the responsibility of building Ghana’s future rest in the present.
“The youth are not just our future, they are our present,” Kwofie said. “Somebody has got to take over. We’ve got to groom them to carry the dream forward and to put Ghana on the global map for the right reasons.”
Hundreds of students came from Tamale Girls Senior High School, Ghana Senior High School, Northern School of Business, Dabokpa Technical Institute and Bagabaga College of Education for the summit, the flagship event of the Martha Inspires Foundation, which this year marked its 10th anniversary. The summit was under the theme: “Amplifying Youth Voices, Building Legacies.”
For Kwofie, guidance was the missing piece in the lives of many young people. “We all get alarmed at some of the trends we see in the newspapers and in the news. There is a lack of adequate guidance for the youth. People do not build the right foundations. They do not want to work hard to get to the top. They want to be spoon-fed,” she said. “The youth need guidance so they can make the right decisions that guarantee their future.”
She explained that MTN Ghana was passionate about equipping young people with digital skills and tools that could help them thrive in a changing world.
“MTN is passionate about giving the youth the digital skills that enable them to operate effectively in today’s world of work. It also helps them to make a living for themselves and to put the country on the map for all the right reasons,” she said.
The event was more than speeches. It was a gathering of energy, laughter, and hope, as students connected with one another and with mentors who had once stood where they stood. The foundation’s commitment to literacy, mentorship, and opportunity was evident in every corner of the venue, from the buzzing conversations between students to the proud smiles of teachers watching their pupils dream beyond the classroom.
If Kwofie’s message was one of urgent preparation, the story of Martha Anabila was one of possibility. As founder and chief executive of the Martha Inspires Foundation, she has spent the past decade creating spaces for young people to learn, dream and connect. At the summit, she looked back with gratitude and ahead with determination.
“For those that know Martha Inspires Foundation, we have a youth centre that children come in to read and write for free. We provide learning materials, healthcare, among other social focus areas that the public actually needs,” she explained.
But the summit, she stressed, was about more than literacy. “Somebody can stay in one community and feel that they are the only people. This is a way to provide networking opportunities for all the people we reach out to and even beyond,” she said.
Reading, however, remained her hallmark. “Once you get in touch with Martha Inspires Foundation and you are able to read, just know that your life will never be the same,” she said. “We are empowering more young people to read, not just soft copy books or reading on WhatsApp or tablets, but to pick hard copy books to actually read.”
Her own story as a young leader was a source of encouragement for many of the students in the room. “I started as a young person and my voice has been amplified. I’m starting to build a legacy because we don’t have to always feel that it is only adults that should build this kind of legacy,” she said.
As the summit came to a close, Anabila reminded the audience that the decade behind them was only a rehearsal for what lies ahead.
“Ten years actually was like a rehearsal for us, just trying to start, understand the ground and see the better structure that we are going to put in place,” she said with a smile. “So watch out for Martha Inspires Foundation. This is just the beginning.”
Source: www.KumasiMail.Com/JosephZiem
