Ace undercover investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas and other renowned good governance dons in Ghana are set to preach on service leadership at the maiden Impact Africa Youth Leadership Summit this year.
The summit, being jointly organized by Afriwic International Organization and Sertoh Leadership International, on the theme “Breaking the Leadership Myth” is designed to instil the values of integrity, stewardship and service rather than ‘rulership’ in the future leaders of Africa.
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Executive Director of Afriwic and Sertoh, Nana Osei-Bonsu Jnr. told Adom News the rationale for the summit is because the concept of leadership in Africa has been completely misunderstood and so African leaders tend to rule instead serving the people.
“We often say leadership is Africa’s bane, but I say it is rather the misunderstanding of leadership that is the bane of Africa,” he argued.
Nana Osei-Bonsu Jnr. explained that leadership at all levels in Africa is derived from the chieftaincy system, which promotes ownership and rulership rather than stewardship and service.
He said chieftaincy institution suggests that chiefs own the people and the resources in their communities and they are to be served and not serve, “but true leadership is about managing the resources at your disposal to serve the people.”
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Nana believes it is this same chieftaincy idea of leadership that politicians and high office holders adopt and therefore demand to be served instead of serving while in office.
“That is why politicians make lots of promises to serve during their campaign but once they get into office they become chiefs and rather demand to be served,” he said.
Nana said the key qualities of service and integrity need to be instilled in people from a young age so that they will grow up and become the kind of leaders that would use resources to serve the masses instead of amassing wealth for themselves and demanding to be served.
He said that was why Afriwic and SERTOH are targeting the African youth for its annual leadership summits so that by the time the youth of today become leadership, they would have gained a better understanding of what is required of them as leaders.
This year’s summit is scheduled for three venues in Ghana: Accra, Kumasi and Koforidua.
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The Accra event is at the Commonwealth Hall, University of Ghana, Legon on October 27, 2018. The Kumasi event is slated for Gardner Hall, KNUST, on November 3, 2018; and the Koforidua one is at Koforidua Technical University, on November 10, 2018.
The speakers on the bill are Anas, Dr Kojo Asante, Director for Advocacy and Policy at CDD-Ghana, Dr Lloyd Amoah, Director of Asian Studies at University of Ghana and Nana Osei-Bonsu Jnr himself.
Nana said admission is free, and there will be refreshment as well as a certificate of participation.