Chief Executive Officer of Farmhouse Productions, Ivan Quashigah has admonished the youth to work for free, noting that working for free and volunteering will pay them for the rest of their lives. In a statement that many young people will find debatable and controversial, especially in the wake of the current economic hardships, the versatile filmmaker and creative director asserted that when young people offer their time and volunteer in jobs, in line with their career aspirations, they gain hands-on experiences that remain unmatched when they eventually launch their careers. Ivan Quashigah told Rev Albert Ocran in a Springboard Virtual University interview that will be aired on Joy FM on Sunday, April 3rd, and subsequently on Joy Prime, that young entrepreneurs must look around for problems and solve them. According to him, the entrepreneurship journey begins when many young people identify a problem, solve it, and get paid for it. He also reiterated the important role of volunteerism in the entrepreneurship journey. “Volunteering to work for an established organization is an important part of a young entrepreneur’s training. You can’t just come out of school and, because you were the best student, decide to start a business. You need to learn from others. Volunteering will give you the experience you need to achieve something for yourself.”, He stated. Growing up, Ivan Quashigah’s journey to becoming a filmmaker could best be described as the ‘divine hand of destiny’. First, he was raised in Keta between two cinema halls – Croydon and Premier. As a child, he sold movie tickets to willing patrons in exchange for the opportunity to watch the movies for free. He later started acting his own version of movies with other colleagues and got children in the neighborhood to pay in kind to watch them. Ivan was mentored by the late Ato Yanney, another movie filmmaker and director, who helped deepened and shape his love for reading and African writers. Through Ato Yanney, he had the opportunity to be on set for the film, ‘The Last Show,’ directed by Allen Gyimah, which saw the likes of David Dontoh, Grace Omaboe, George Williams, Lola Everett starring. His journey to becoming a filmmaker had its own challenging moments. His father was detained just before going to NAFTI and he resorted to selling soft drinks to finance his education till he eventually got a scholarship. His decision go to film school was met with ridicule and even after NAFTI, he was disappointed when he was posted to the National Service Secretariat for his service. But what was supposed to be a disappointment turned out to be a great blessing for him. “While at the National Service Secretariat, we were asked to do a documentary as part of their 20th Anniversary celebration. That documentary enabled me to travel around the country for free, build relationships and appreciate different cultures. Till today, it has been a blessing in my business”, he stressed. From “Things we Do for Love” to “YOLO”, Ivan Quashigah’s works in the creative media space are the silent standard most of his colleagues and other budding filmmakers aspire to. He was also the brain behind ‘sika ooo sika’, a commercial he did for UAC Textiles whiles working with the late Jake Obetsebi Lamptey at Lintas. Behind his cool and calm personality is a tough and decisive leader who would not hesitate to call a colleague at 2am to enquire about why a task has not been executed. He attributes this side of his personality to the training he received from his late father, Major Courage Quashigah, a former military officer, and a Minister of Agric in the erstwhile Kufuor administration. When COVID-19 ravaged businesses worldwide, and many corporate organisations laid off their staff, Ivan, determined to do otherwise. He, together with his team at Farmhouse, set up an App, the Farmhouse Movies App, to create movie content for young people. At the time of its launch in December 2020, the App had already garnered over 50,000 downloads Ivan believes there are two possible outcomes to every pitch in life – A yes or no. A yes means you can proceed, whiles a no gives you an opportunity to learn. He admonishes youth interested in entrepreneurship to find what they love or what makes them happy and be ready to sacrifice time and money to learn and grow in it.

Founder and Managing Director of Eden Tree Limited, Catherine Krobo Edusei, has called for the creation of demonstration farms, that showcase best practices in Agriculture, with high-level technology, as a measure to attract the youth into the sector. According to her, technology is such a big enabler and game-changer in Agriculture that when it is streamlined properly, with the right resources, it could change the narrative surrounding the sector. According to the award winning entrepreneur, who is celebrating her 25th year as a farmer, Agribusiness, though a profitable and lucrative value chain, has suffered due to the negative perceptions and views surrounding it. “Many young people see the Agric sector as a dirty and unrewarding venture, only for the elderly, uneducated, and rural poor. Speaking to Rev. Albert Ocran in a Springboard Virtual University interview to be broadcast on radio, television and online this weekend, Catherine Krobo Edusei stressed that because school farms were used as places for punishing students, many had grown up with a deep-seated psychological dislike for farming. She bemoaned the cost of modern technologies and the lack of access to finances to acquire them. In spite of these challenges, she still sees opportunities to create jobs in farming and agribusiness. “We are not producing enough as a country and we often under-distribute and are forced to rely on exports. What we have therefore done at Eden Tree, is to create a scheme where we give soft loans to smallholder farmers to enable them to plant for us. While this creates income security for them, they sometimes breach trust and try to cheat by side selling.” Sharing how she went into the Agricultural sector, Catherine Krobo Edusei indicated that she entered into farming by default “I relocated to Ghana as a banker, with my two children, and prayed to God for work outside the formal sector. An NGO request for aloe vera in large quantities created an opportunity. I ended up planting culinary herbs like Basel, parsley, dale, coriander, and fennel and the rest is history. Catherine also expressed concern about the cultural perception that farming is not for women. According to her, while it is the men that lead in land acquisition and in the collection of cash, it’s women who plant, harvest, and trade the farm produce. She called on the youth, especially young women, to view agribusiness with an open mind and not see it as below their level since the opportunities in the sector are vast and lucrative. “If COVID has taught us anything, it is the fact that there are endless possibilities with food. The world will continue to demand more food. Considering how much arable land we have, if we make Agric enjoyable and profitable, Africa could end up being the food basket of the world” she concluded.    

Born And Bred In Tema In The Greater Accra Region, Oheneyere Gifty Anti Is One Of The Successful Broadcasters To Grace The Television Screens In The Country. She is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the GDA Concept and host of Stand Point, a programme which discusses issues affecting women. Ms Anti started her media career at the Ghana News Agency as an intern before moving on to the Ghanaian Times also as an intern. She later moved to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), again as an intern, after which she was offered an opportunity to do her national service there. Ms Anti landed her first job as a Floor Manager at GTV and later rose to become a broadcaster there. She is currently married to Nana Ansah Kwao IV, the Chief of Akwamu Adumasa, with whom she has a daughter. Sharing her behind the scenes story on the Springboard, Your Virtual University, she said growing up, she never envisioned her life as a broadcaster. “I grew up with so many dreams but my greatest dream was to make my father proud. I saw my dad made so many sacrifices for me and my ultimate aim was to make him proud, it didn’t matter whatever it is i wanted to do,” she noted. She believed she was able to achieve this dream, stating that “before he died, he looked at me and said thank you and that is what gave me closure and peace.” “I couldn’t buy him a car or do anything great for him but he was pleased that I had made him proud and that gave me fulfilment,” she stated. Changing dreams As a child, she said her dream job kept changing based on what she saw. “My dreams kept changing, I will see a custom officer around those times in Tema and I wanted to be one. I saw clearing agents doing well and wanted to be one. The last one was to be a land economist,” she noted. In all of this, she said the ultimate aim was to do something that would give her enough money to take care of her dad and make him proud. “I saw the sacrifices he made. He gave me so much confidence and believed in me. Everything I do, I still think about my father if it will make him proud and this puts pressure on me as I have to be extremely careful about my actions,” she explained. Work pressure Mrs Anti also noted that her work as a broadcaster came with lots of pressure, hard work, sacrifice and preparation. “Two weeks ago, I had to record five programmes at a go and this was with different groups of people. One of the programmes, I had to do part one and two because I had these young ladies who were first borns and were sharing their experiences. “Ending it after one hour was not going help them so had to do part one and two and it was very tiring,” she noted. She pointed out that getting guest and panellists for her show was sometimes not easy. Childbirth Commenting on childbirth, she said most at times, people didn’t seem to understand that one’s life had changed because of childbirth. “Some of them have children but they are grown. I always tell people that I had a child when some of my mates had grandchildren so the sacrifices I have to make are different from what they have to make. “I always have to think about my daughter but sometimes people make so many demands of you but it doesn’t work like that,” she stated. Top 10 lessons 1.    Inspiration & sacrifice; My main inspiration growing up was to make my father happy. I saw the many sacrifices he made and wanted to give him something in return. 2.   Legacy; I am always conscious of leaving a legacy. I want my daughter to grow up and be proud of what I have done. It puts me under pressure and influences everything I do. 3.    Mentorsip; I benefited from the tough mentoring of people such as Liz Hayfron Asare in my days at the Ghanaian Times. She still reaches out to me even now. 4.    Social media; It can be really challenging when you post something to encourage a vulnerable person and someone else deliberately misrepresents it just to trend. 5.    Emotional pressures; There can be emotional pressures as people try to design your life to suit their needs or expectations. Be true to yourself and stay focused. 6.    Regrets; After a great O’Levels, I lost my way and ended up with a weak A’Levels, largely due to misplaced priorities and wrong relationships. It made me even more resolute. 7.    Youth confusion; Many youth are impatient and confused in trying to reconcile the achievements of their mentors with their own realities.  Youth mentoring must be prioritised in our national development effort. 8.    Profitable labour; I engaged in hawking and carpentry along the line just to raise funds for my education. I try to do everything I do with ‘swag’ so I didn’t find it shameful at all. 9.    Lifelong learning; I continue to learn from every situation even now and, in everything I do, I seek to become a better person. 10.   Cultural awareness; I have had to make a number of lifestyle changes as a wife of a chief. You can call them lessons of ‘Oheneyereship’. Our culture has important lessons for societal preservation. SOURCE: Graphic Online

Irish-Ghanaian Catholic Missionary, Father Andrew Campbell, recounted his difficult moments of praying for condemned prisoners before facing the firing squad in the 70s. Father Campbell spoke to Rev. Albert Ocran when he took his turn on the ‘Engine Room’ series on the Springboard, Your Virtual University, on Joy FM. The immediate past Parish Priest of Christ the King Catholic Church reiterated how giving hope to prisoners, prostitutes, lepers, and the less privileged in society makes him fulfilled. “As the Chaplain for the Ussher and James forts prisons, I used to have mass, baptism class and served the prisoners with communion.” “The hardest moment was when some of them were brought from Nsawam and other places for the firing squad. They lost hope and often questioned why they were going through those ordeals”, Father Campbell revealed. He narrated how he prepared them spiritually by praying for them and taking them through confessions. “I remember one Easter Sunday morning sitting in the cell alone with one of the prisoners, the sun was coming through the window, and I had to give the man hope and encouragement. It was difficult,” he said. Father Campbell was, however, quick to add that the prisoners were grateful anytime he prayed with them because they received hope and encouragement and were strengthened to face the firing squad. As Founder of the Lepers Aid Committee, Father Campbell also spoke about what prompted his work with lepers, saying, “as a young priest at the Holy Spirit Cathedral at Adabraka in the 70s, I was working out in the garden of the church one morning when a healed leper showed up with a bag of mangoes as a gift for me. “I gave all of them out immediately because I thought I will get leprosy. But I later told myself this is not right, so I went out to Weija, and I was devastated when I saw the condition of the place, so I told myself this is what God has called me to do, and I decided to help them.” Below are the lessons from Father Andrew Campbell’s interview SHARING.My life is inspired by Mother Teresa’s mantra, “Doing something beautiful for God.” My parents were a Godly inspiration. GOD’S PROVISIONWhen my savings for seminary fell short by £10, an anonymous donor sent me exactly £10 by post with a note to be a good priest. PERSISTENCEI sailed on the 13-day journey to Ghana with little knowledge of Africa. My colleague returned after our early challenges, but I stayed on, and it’s now 50 years. LEPER PRIESTThe first cured leper I met brought me mangoes in 1974. I almost ran away. Today, many call me the ‘leper priest’, and I actually live in Weija. But, we can still do better with stigma. BORROWED LIFEI literally ‘died’ of COVID on 11th July 2020, but God raised me and reminded me that I had unfinished work to do. CONTENTMENTI don’t have a salary, car or bank account. I don’t need anything. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13) RESTORATIONOne Sunday, two prostitutes I had ministered to the night before showed up in church. Showing empathy has gotten some of them off the streets. GIVING HOPEI prayed with condemned prisoners at Usher Fort and James Fort just before being sent to the firing squad. CELIBACYJesus was POOR, OBEDIENT and CELIBATE. He didn’t marry, so I chose to live that way as an eschatological expression. TEMPTATIONI survive temptation by constant prayer. I don’t want to focus on the WORK of the Lord and miss out on the LORD of the work. SOURCE: My Joy Online

Eugene Kwame Marfo, Who Goes By The Stage Name Kuami Eugene, Is A High-Life And Afrobeat Singer-Songwriter, Signed To Lynx Entertainment. He emerged as the New Artist of the year at the 2018 Ghana Music Awards and a year later, he got an impressive seven nominations, going on to win three of them. In that same year, he also won the Most Promising Artist in Africa at the AFRIMA Awards. Kuami Eugene went a step further in 2020, winning the ultimate prize in Ghana music, the Artist of the Year at the Ghana Music Awards. He also won the High-life Artist of the Year. Appearing on the Springboard, Your Virtual University, he told the host, Rev. Albert Ocran, that growing up, he always knew he would do music. “I knew I was definitely going to do music because I had the gift for it and when I sang, people were like wow,” he stated. Early life Kuami Eugene, who also goes by the name “The RockStar,” said he grew up from what he described as one of the most rowdy environments in the country, Fadama. He said growing up at Fadama was very tough, with all the gambling, hardships, crime and rowdiness around. “Growing up was very tough but I was raised by a strong mum who made my business her business and this was what helped me. She always taught me to put God first and man will follow and the second one was to make everything work that is if it can work. “The house that she is living in now, she started investing in the house with GHȼ15 and today she owns it. This really inspired me. If she can start a whole house with GHȼ15, it means if I start something and I believe it is possible, it can be done,” he explained. First encounter with music He said his first encounter with music was at the Presbyterian Church at Fadama. “I am a Presbyterian and we had something among our presbytery where musical groups in the church went to one church and we would all sing and my locals was one. I was performing and it was so nice and people were happy to the extent that the stage collapsed. “It started from there and I got very popular from there and was invited to churches to perform and that helped me leave behind the ghetto life at Fadama,” he stated. MTN Hit maker Kuami Eugene noted that his breakthrough happened when he took part in the MTN Hit Maker competition. He said although he got to know about the competition two years earlier, he wasn’t ready and was too young at the time so he had to wait for two more years before entering. “We saw it on TV and I was 17 years old then so I had to wait two more years to prepare myself very well for the show. I went for the auditions, I was picked and the rest is history. “God being so good, I finally met my label after the competition and they made a lot of investment for me and I am here today,” he narrated. He said he had his first hit song ‘Angela’ under the label at the age of 19 years and that was the turning point in his career. “‘Angela’ was the turning point in my life and it made me who I am. Somebody had to fly me all the way to the UK to come and sing ‘Angela’ for his wife at their wedding and it was an amazing feeling,” he noted. Writing with pain Kuami Eugene also revealed that he wrote his hit song ‘Wish me well’ out of pain. “I sat down and wrote that song because of what I was going through that moment. It was my first confrontation song. After releasing ‘Angela’, people started saying one hit wonder boys, they will come and go right now. I then did ‘Confusion’ and they were like that’s it, he doesn’t have anything else left.” “I heard people say that on radio and TV. I later did ‘Adwenfie’ and others and thought people will stop saying that but it continued so I sat down one day with pain and it was one of the few times I had pain while writing a song,” he disclosed. 10 Lessons and quotes from Kuami Eugene’s story 1.    Growing up; I grew up in a tough neighbourhood dominated by social vices. 2.    Role model; my mother is my biggest role model and the greatest influence on my life; from my faith to my career, character, philosophy, and even my lyrics. She prayed for me, disciplined me and, till today, always encourages me. 3.    MTN Hit Maker; This is what brought me to light. 4.    Turning point; the hit song ‘Angela’ was my turning point. That song made me a household name. 5.    Composition; Music comes naturally. I play several instruments and compose under different circumstances. 6.    Responsibility; I think deeply about my lyrics. Every music I put out there has a message. 7.    Evangelist; music is a more effective means of evangelism than any other channel. I see myself as an evangelist spreading good morals. 8.    Ruthlessness; the music industry is unkind and does not tolerate or forgive your vulnerability. The higher you go the more pressure it puts on you. 9.    Industry evolution; in my early days, I hire big equipment to do anything. But now, I can do everything, including recordings, on my tablet. Easy access to music also means you need incredible talent, solid networks or divine favour to stand out. 10.    Contentment; I feel special and always bless God for making me who I am. My greatest fear is to wake up one day and no longer be Kuami Eugene. Source: Graphic Online

Music Icon Kuami Eugene believes musicians need to keep pace with current trends to remain relevant.” Music is evolving. it is constantly changing”, he detailed The ” Angela” hitmaker was sharing the story of his journey into music with Rev. Albert Ocran as part of the Engine Room series on Springboard, Your Virtual University on Joy FM. The 2020 VGMA Artiste of the Year thinks it has become so easy to produce music, and therefore one must be extremely talented to stand out. Kuami Eugene narrates how musicians now have to be succinct and straight to the point in their compositions because ” listeners just don’t have time to listen to songs that are 10-15 minutes long.” Below are the Top Ten QUOTES from Kuami Eugene in his interview with Rev. Albert Ocran as captured by the Springboard team GROWING UPI grew up in a tough neighbourhood dominated by social vices. My first musical performance was in the Presby church. It was so vigorous that the stage collapsed. However, the numerous invites that followed helped me move out of the ghetto. ROLE MODELMy mother is my biggest role model and the greatest influence on my life, from my faith to my career, character, philosophy, and even lyrics. She prayed for me, disciplined me and, till today, always encourages me. MTN HITMAKERThis is what brought me to light. I first heard about the MTN Hitmaker in my teens but chose to wait for a couple more years till I was more ready and mature before participating. I thank God I did TURNING POINTThe hit song ‘Angela’ was my turning point. That song made me a household name. My first travel to the UK was to perform the song at a couple’s wedding, incidentally named James and Angela. COMPOSITIONMusic comes naturally. I play several instruments and compose under different circumstances. So many dismissed Angela as a one-off. But after Confusion and other tracks did well, and they still didn’t change their minds, I wrote, “Wish me well.” RESPONSIBILITYI think deeply about my lyrics. Every music I put out there has a message. There are people from all walks of life who listen to me, young and old. I must impact them. EVANGELISTMusic is a more effective means of evangelism than any other channel. I see myself as an evangelist spreading good morals. RUTHLESSNESSThe music industry is unkind and does not tolerate or forgive your vulnerability. The higher you go, the more pressure it puts on you. INDUSTRY EVOLUTIONIn my early days. I hire big equipment to do anything. But now, I can do everything, including recordings, on my tablet. But, of course, easy access to music also means you need incredible talent, solid networks or divine favour to stand out. CONTENTMENTI feel special and always bless God for making me. However, my greatest fear is to wake up one day and no longer be Kuami Eugene. Source: MyJoyOnline

Ghanaian Music Star Kuami Eugene says he sees himself as an evangelist spreading good morals. This is because music is a more effective means of evangelism than any other channel. In an interview with Rev. Albert Ocran as part of the Engine Room series on Springboard, Your Virtual University on Joy FM, he said this. “I think deeply about my lyrics. Every music I put out there has a message. There are people from all walks of life who listen to me, young and old. So I must impact them positively”, he explained. Kuami Eugene narrated how as a child, he knew he would go into music because he has the gift for it. “Music has always been my life. I play the bass guitar, drums, keyboard, the harmonica, and a bit of flute”. Reminiscing about his past, the 2021 VGMA Highlife Artiste of the Year said his first real insight into how far he could go with his talent was during an inter-church music competition where he wowed the audience who thronged the stage, and the stage collapsed. “If your dream seems to be tarrying, be patient. Never stop working toward it. Start, and keep pushing; God is on your side”, Kuami Eugene advised. Source: MyJoyOnline

Finance Minister, Honorable Ken Ofori-Atta has completed a series of engagements aimed at inspiring young people across the country to venture into entrepreneurship. The tour, known as the Springboard Dialogues, which took him to Tamale in the northern belt, Sunyani in the middle belt and Accra in the southern belt, also afforded him the opportunity to meet young entrepreneurs and final year entrepreneurship students and listen to their concerns. Accompanying the minister in the sessions were officials of various agencies that provide financial, technical and mentoring support to small businesses including the Ghana Enterprises Agency (formerly NBSSI), National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP) and the Ghana Cares (Obaatanpa) Programme. Speaking on the final leg in Accra, an obviously impressed Mr. Ofori-Atta commended young people who had set up start-up ventures and who were employing others in the process. “I left the two engagements in Tamale and Sunyani with a renewed sense of hope in our youth.” “It has been a great opportunity for me to reconnect with what I call my first love: mentoring young people and challenging them to live a life of purpose, based on strong ethics and optimism in the midst of challenging circumstances”, Mr Ofori-Atta stated. The minister commended Albert and Comfort Ocran, organizers of the Springboard Road Shows and Youth Dialogues for their consistency in youth development over the past 15 years. He was particularly impressed with the stories shared by previous participants of the Springboard Road Show at the interactions. Notably impressive was the story of Michael Amoah, a Hospitality Management Professional who previously sold yogurt in the streets of Kumasi for 11 years after dropping out of junior high school but who was inspired by Springboard to resume his education all the way to the postgraduate level. Also commendable was the story of Francis Adu who was into rice, pepper and poultry farming in Navrongo in the Upper West Region. The minister interacted with Obed Korang-Manson whose entrepreneurial spirit and vision was awakened during Springboard and took steps to establish a fast growing print business in Sunyani that currently employs 14 people,  Evelyn Affreh who was mentored to pursue a profession in environmental sustainability and finally Belinda Baaba Baidoo Baidoo who ventured into an art and fashion business after being disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. While admitting that entrepreneurship was not an easy journey, he encouraged the young people present and those listening online that it was the only way forward.  “We have a situation where 71% of the Ghanaian population is under 35. According to the World Bank, at least 109,000 students graduate from tertiary institutions in Ghana each year. Each one of these graduates needs jobs that government is not in a position to directly provide.” “The story of my own childhood and my youth which I shared with the youth in these regions is evidence of what God’s grace, destiny, opportunities and a can-do spirit can achieve”, Mr Ofori-Atta concluded.

Young Entrepreneurs must be encouraged Young people who dare to set up businesses and employ others in the process are charting the course for an entrepreneurial future for the country and need to be encouraged and supported, the Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta has stated. He explained that what we need is a thousand young people starting small and employing ten people each rather than wait for one person to employ ten thousand. Government had therefore rolled out a number of interventions aimed at providing opportunities for the youth to become entrepreneurial in view of the high youth unemployment situation confronting the country. “Listen to me, young people:  your job opportunities will either come from your depending on others to give you a job, or from you awaking the entrepreneur in you by making use of the opportunities that are available in the public and private sector,” he said. Springboard Roadshow The minister was speaking as the Guest Mentor of the Springboard Roadshow virtual convocation held in Accra today. The event is an initiative of the Springboard Road Show Foundation and focuses on entrepreneurship, investment, career and talent development for young people between the ages 18 years and 35 years. Mr Ofori-Atta spoke under the theme: Repositioning: Navigating through COVID-19 and finding career and business opportunities. He commended the conveners, Albert and Comfort Ocran for the initiative. For over 15 years, they have been daring and consistent in this all-important national effort at inspiring young people. I have been a regular resource on Springboard Road Shows right from their inception, and I have always loved the opportunity to travel and interact with young people, he intimated. The Springboard Dialogues started in Tamale last Thursday, June 3 and moved to Sunyani on Monday, June 7 before the Virtual Convocation in Accra. Targeted interventions Making a case for targeted interventions for the youth, he said: “I believe the robust implementation of interventions under the Ghana CARES programme will gradually create a conducive, compelling, and ultimately resilient economic environment fit for enterprise and innovation.” “There are ample opportunities in agribusiness and manufacturing that must be exploited given their high economic multiplier and import substitution effects and, of course, job-creating potential.  Undoubtedly, this will require both the private and public sector to work together towards a common goal of creating jobs and opportunity for all.” Giving context to the unemployment situation in the country, Mr Ofori-Atta said: “We have a situation where 71 per cent of the Ghanaian population is under 35 (compared to a global average of 57%). According to the World Bank, at least 109,000 students graduate from tertiary institutions in Ghana each year. Each one of these graduates needs jobs.  The World Bank estimated Ghana’s unemployment rate among the youth as 12 per cent representing 1.3 million. Alarmingly, about half of the youth population in Ghana who number 5.4 million are regarded as underemployed. Ecosystem  Mr Ofori-Atta explained that in the past 12 months, government had launched the Ghana CARES “Obaatanpa” Programme to transition the country from a commodity-dependent to a self-reliant industrialised nation.  Within the past year, he said government had initiated work on creating an integrated aluminium industry, which should finally free the country from having to import alumina to power the dormant national smelter (VALCO).  “Once the smelter is active, we can nurture an entire bauxite and aluminium ecosystem, creating jobs and opportunities for all.” Self-belief  The Chief Executive Officer of MTN, Mr Selorm Adadevoh, who was also a speaker at the event, encouraged the youth to be positive-minded and believe in their abilities to make change. He said when people believed in themselves, there would not be limits to the successes they could achieved, using his own journey onto the top of the country’s biggest telecommunications company as an example. He said while challenges would come along the way, people needed to be bold and determined and remained focus on their ultimate objectives.  He also advised the youth to build trust in themselves by being consistent in the execution of trusts. Springboard’s new initiative The Executive Director of the Springboard Road Show Foundation, Mrs Comfort Ocran, said after years of inspiring and mentoring many young people to go into entrepreneurship, Springboard took a new initiative this year.  She said the foundation had begun engaging with agencies set up to provide opportunities for the youth in the form of training, job placement, business financing and other critical business needs. “We called the new initiative the Springboard Youth Dialogues. They simply involve connecting you the young people to opportunities and policy interventions to help accelerate your progress, especially in the areas of business. “In designing these interactions, we reached out to the Minister of Finance, himself a veteran Springboard resource person from the very first five editions. Not only did he wholeheartedly embrace the ideas we shared, he personally offered to travel all the way with us, to listen to the concerns and challenges of young entrepreneurs and to provide much-needed answers to young people across the country,” Mrs Ocran said.  She commended Mr Ofori-Atta for the time and the invaluable contributions and expressed the hope that the ideas shared would help inspire the youth into positive action.