Youth Empowerment Summit ‘21: Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah urges students to prepare to pay the price for success
Former youth and sports minister, Mr Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah has advised Ghanaian youth to develop their talents and be prepared to pay the price of hard work and sacrifice if they desire to be successful and fulfil their purpose in life.
Mr Afriyie-Ankrah observed that contrary to what many young people believe, there are no shortcuts to success in life and one must be willing to hone their talent in order to achieve their dreams.
“Everyone in this world has, at least, one talent and you have a duty to discover yours. The formulae to success is work, work and work,” he told participants at the 2021 Youth Empowerment Summit organised by the Drolor Centre for Strategic Leadership at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).
Speaking on the theme, “Preparing for the future: seven steps to fulfilling your purpose and mission in life,” Mr Afriyie-Ankrah said the journey to accomplishing one’s purpose in life begins with knowing and believing in one’s purpose.
However, he was quick to add that knowing one’s purpose was not enough as a deliberate attempt should be made by the individual to document his or her specific purpose.
He further explained that purpose is the “compass of life” that leads to vision, goals and the ultimate actions toward achieving them.
“You need to write down your vision. When you write down your vision and read it aloud to yourself every day, it manifests in the long run through your subconscious to your conscious mind.”
Mr Afriyie-Ankrah added that the next steps to knowing one’s purpose is the discovery and development of one’s talent and being prepared to pay the price of success which he says include preparation, dedication, seeking wisdom, overcoming limitations, living clean, avoiding distractions and practising patience.
“Life will only give you the best if you put in your best,” he stressed. “Examinations are not passed in the examination halls [but] rather in the reading or study rooms.
He concluded his address by charging the youth to use their power of imagination to turn their adversities into opportunities by building a robust network of contacts and social relations whiles putting their trust in God.
On his part, Dr Gerald Dapaah Gyamfi, Director of the Drolor Centre for Strategic Leadership (DCSL), noted that preparing for the future could be fraught with unforeseen risks and uncertainties.
However, Dr Gyamfi said despite these uncertainties about life, the youth should work hard to prepare themselves for the future, emphasising that it was the only way to creating a suitable environment that will enable them to face the challenges that confront them.
He urged the students to take advantage of the advancement in technology to develop themselves and cultivate a global mindset in order to make a positive impact to the society.
Dr. Gyamfi said the DCSL was therefore established to nurture and develop aspiring leaders to have a strategic mindset, pointing out that the summit will empower participants to prepare for the future and towards the realisation of their dreams.
“For your empowerment, I urge you to be serious now with your academic studies for a bright future,” he said.
“Many youths of our time have become stranded because of failures in their academic studies. Try to reach higher academic laurels by foregoing most of the pleasures of our time. I wish you to develop new strategies to optimise your learning experience.”
The event was moderated by broadcast journalist and host of the Citi Morning Show, Mr Bernard Koku Avle who used the occasion to launch Mr Afriyie-Ankrah’s latest book entitled, “Seven Steps to Fulfilling Your Purpose and Mission in Life”.
The 2021 Youth Empowerment Summit brought together over 300 participants from various tertiary institutions including the UPSA, University of Ghana, GIMPA and the Accra College of Education among others.
