Former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged young people across Africa to champion education, describing it as the foundation for the continent’s growth and development.
Speaking as the Special Guest at the 3rd West Africa Youth Summit in Accra, he said Africa’s progress depends on making sure every child has access to quality education.
He explained that Ghana’s Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy was introduced to help young people who could not continue their secondary education because their families could not afford the cost.
According to him, nearly one million young Ghanaians missed out on secondary education over a period of more than 10 years because of financial difficulties. He warned that this would have had serious consequences for the country’s future if the situation had continued.
He said the Free SHS policy led to a significant increase in school enrolment, especially among girls and children from low-income families. He added that the policy ensured access to secondary education was no longer based on a family’s financial situation.
Recalling an encounter during his presidency, Nana Akufo-Addo said a woman once complained that the Free SHS policy had made it difficult to find housemaids because many young girls who would otherwise have entered domestic work were now in school. He described the remark as a powerful illustration of the policy’s impact.
He stressed that while investments in roads, hospitals and other infrastructure are important, education remains the bedrock of Africa’s development.
He encouraged participants at the summit to become ambassadors for education in their respective countries, saying an educated population is key to finding African solutions to African challenges.
