Former Ghana President: My Generation Owes Youth Mentorship

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor believes his generation carries a responsibility to share decades of experience with young people who don't have time for the slow career paths that shaped leaders of the past.

Speaking on Joy News' PM Express in Ghana, the former president explained that today's youth face a fundamentally different challenge than he did. When he studied law and moved into public service, the world moved slower and allowed for lengthy apprenticeships.

"I came to what I eventually ended up in through a long apprenticeship," Kufuor said. "They may not be privileged to undergo such an apprenticeship with time."

With artificial intelligence and rapid technological change accelerating the pace of work and life, Kufuor argues that older people must actively make their experience accessible. The traditional model of learning through decades of gradual advancement no longer fits the modern world.

But Kufuor pushes back on concerns that today's youth aren't ready for leadership. He sees young people as better equipped than his generation in many ways, particularly through education and technology access.

"I tend to believe the current generation is far better educated than our generation," he said. He contrasted today's instant access to information through mobile phones with the 1950s and 1960s, when even telephones were scarce in major Ghanaian cities like Kumasi.

The Ripple Effect

Kufuor's vision combines the best of both worlds: the technological advantages young people possess with the practical wisdom older generations spent lifetimes acquiring. His John A. Kufuor Foundation puts this philosophy into action through the Kufuor Scholars Program.

The three-year program supplements university education with leadership training, mentorship, coaching and hands-on activities. Students participate in leadership camps, internships and personal projects designed to nurture ethical, community-minded leaders.

The goal reaches beyond individual success. The program aims to develop patriots who can solve problems and contribute to national development with both fresh perspectives and time-tested wisdom.

For Kufuor, mentorship represents a form of intergenerational responsibility. His generation learned slowly but deeply, and today's generation learns quickly but needs guidance to apply knowledge wisely.

The foundation's approach suggests a path forward for countries worldwide grappling with similar questions about preparing young leaders in an age of disruption.