Stakeholders in education, entrepreneurship and civil society have called for the early introduction of entrepreneurship education in Ghanaian schools.
This, they said, would equip young people with problem-solving skills and transform them from job seekers into job creators.
The call was made at a book launch and stakeholder engagement organised by Change Makers Entrepreneurship Education Enterprise, in collaboration with the Ghana Library Authority, on the theme: “Teach us to be business owners and problem solvers so we can change our country”.
Speakers at the event underscored the importance of nurturing entrepreneurial thinking from the junior high school (JHS) and senior high school (SHS) levels as a strategic approach to reducing youth unemployment and driving national development.
Speaking at the engagement yesterday, the Patron of Change Makers Entrepreneurship Education Enterprise, Kwaku Aduama-Larbi, urged young people to free themselves from what he described as mental slavery resulting from colonial and neo-colonial influences.
He said the book, The Nation American Dream, was written to empower African youth to think independently and become job creators rather than job seekers.
Mr Aduama-Larbi said relying on government for jobs had hindered progress, and urged young people to learn to solve problems and create opportunities for themselves and others.
Investment
Delivering the keynote address, the District Minister of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rev. Charles Adom Dawkwa, described the occasion as more than a book launch, saying it was an investment in the future of the country and Africa.
He said the book was designed not only to be read but to transform the mindset of young people by challenging them to think creatively and entrepreneurially.
Rev. Dawkwa emphasised that the future of the country would not be built by those waiting for jobs, but by thinkers, innovators, problem solvers and entrepreneurs who created opportunities for others.
He stressed that introducing entrepreneurship education at the JHS and SHS levels was timely and necessary, stressing that it would help students to grow with a job-creation mindset rather than a job-seeking mentality.
Rev. Dawkwa explained that many young people were raised to believe that academic success automatically led to employment, but degrees alone no longer guaranteed jobs.
He said early exposure to entrepreneurship would help students to discover their talents, passions and leadership abilities, and transform those strengths into opportunities.
The reverend minister further said entrepreneurship education would bridge the gap between theory and practice by equipping students with practical skills such as financial literacy, innovation, leadership and business planning.
He said empowering young people to start businesses would not only reduce unemployment but also drive national transformation.
Call to educators, stakeholders
Rev. Dawkwa further called on teachers and educational stakeholders to ensure that the book did not remain on library shelves but was actively discussed in classrooms to shape students’ mindsets.
He urged educators to integrate entrepreneurship thinking into school culture so that students would be inspired to think creatively, solve problems and develop business ideas while still in school.
He also appealed to policymakers, development partners and education authorities to support the integration of entrepreneurship education into Ghana’s curriculum to produce innovative, responsible and self-reliant citizens.
Entrepreneurship beyond business
The General Secretary of Change Makers Entrepreneurship Education Enterprise, Dominic E. Ansah, said entrepreneurship education was not only about business creation, but also about character formation.
He explained that teaching young people to identify problems and create solutions would influence their daily behaviour, decisions and habits.
Mr Ansah said when students internalised problem-solving thinking, they would begin to question whether their actions created or solved problems, whether their habits built or destroyed value, and whether their choices contributed to their future.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh