June 17, 2010 12:03 Age: 80 days
Interview with James Ekow Rhule
Newly elected Executive Committee President of the Africa Alliance of YMCAs (AAYMCA), James Ekow Rhule, has been a member of the Ghana YMCA since 1982 and served as the National Youth President for the Ghana YMCA (1984-1991), the Western Zone Coordinator for the AAYMCAs (1995-2001), Chairman of the AAYMCA Youth Committee (1998-2002) and most recently, Vice President of the AAYMCA Executive Committee (2006-2010). This month’s issue of Siyahamba will feature a full profile on Rhule, and this week we asked Rhule for his opinion on the progress and importance of youth development and leadership work in Africa:
Q: What are your views on youth leadership and its impact on society and youth?
A: It is important to cultivate youth leadership as it engenders fresh and innovative ideas, and brings about a movement away from the status quo. For this to materialise we need to develop a very strong mentorship programme to sharpen the leadership skills of the youth.
We should not be afraid to put the youth in leadership positions, with the excuse that they will make mistakes. Mistakes are a necessary part of any learning process. Mistakes create opportunities for correction and the adoption of new strategies for achieving positive results.
Q: What are your views on the current situation of youth in Africa and how government and other organisations respond to their issues?
A: The situation of youth today could be described as that of uncertainty and hopelessness. They are faced with a number of socio-economic challenges such as lack of education and unemployment. They feel let down by politicians who ride on their backs to power. Due to lack of employment, a number of the continent’s youth are leaving in droves to Europe and the Americas, often through hazardous routes. Many of them die in the process.
I dare say that many countries in Africa have not adopted youth-focused national strategies for addressing the concerns of young people to ensure youth mobilisation, development and deployment in a positive manner. There is a general absence of national youth policies; and where these are available they are hardly implemented.
That said, we have seen some efforts in many countries to appoint young people to ministerial positions. We are, however, interested in greater commitment towards enabling greater access to education and training, and to job creation among the youth. It is through these that the youth would become empowered enough to contribute towards the development of their respective countries.
Q: Do you have any personal messages you would like to share or communicate?
A: I’m very concerned about child labour issues in Africa. We all have a responsibility for safeguarding the future of our children by ensuring that they have access to education and are treated with love and care to enable them to grow up with confidence and a sense of responsibility. In this regard, I wish to call on governments in Africa to work towards the total elimination of Child Labour in their respective countries.
