The scheme is a youth devel­opment programme that seeks to challenge young people through a balanced programme of voluntary activities.

A non-competitive programme, the scheme helps unearth the potential of young people in diverse disciplines and allows their achievements to be recognised internationally.

It is open to young persons from the age of 14 to 24 years regardless of their background and circumstances.

The President is the chief pa­tron of the scheme.

At the presentation ceremo­ny at the Jubilee House, Accra, President Akufo-Addo congrat­ulated the gold award winners and called on the nation to offer them all the encouragement and support they required to grow to become responsible adults.

“The aspirations and needs of young people and their abili­ty to meet their full potential remains largely unmet due to the myriad of economic challenges we are currently facing. Despite the odds being stacked against them, we know that when the youth are empowered, development outcomes improve,” he pointed out.

President Akufo-Addo empha­sised that the development of Gha­na demanded the active participa­tion of the youth, saying, “for our young people to be in the position to drive this nation to where it ought to be, it is imperative that we equip, train, support and give them a level playing field.”

“We need to create avenues that will enable them to explore, be innovative, and use creative ways of solving societal problems to ensure the development of this nation.”

The President noted that though there was a gap in the skill set of young people, programmes such as the awards scheme creates the op­portunity for young people to hone their skills, bridge their skills gap, and be all-round citizens.

The youth are an indispensable and yet under-utilised force in tackling global poverty and inequality. Their energy, passion and courage to chal­lenge the status quo are needed to identify and address complex global problems, and their insight is worthy of attention,” he stated.

President Akufo-Addo was excited about the award scheme’s global youth mobilisation and digital award projects, which were enabling social entrepreneurship and putting the youth in the driver’s seat to improve their own lives and societies.

He said young people all over the world had contributed to economic growth and much more when they were equipped with skills, resources and the networks they needed to solve problems in their communities.

The President reiterated that his administration was a “firm believer in the infinite potential of young people. That is why the government interest in young people has been a priority over the past six years.”

He called on the youth to take advantage of the ‘YouStart’ flagship programme which has set aside GH¢10 million to support young Ghanaians who intend to start their own businesses or improve their existing businesses.