They were honoured alongside some young professionals, who had excelled in their respective fields, at the 10th Young Professionals Transformational Leadership Conference, in Accra.

Mr Rawlings, whose award was picked on his behalf by Dr Benjamin Kumbour, a former Minister of Defence, was celebrated for his feat in Political Leadership and Youth Development.

The  Asantehene, however,  was the toast as the role model in Traditional Transformational Leadership.

For the youth awards, Mr. Alfred Ocansey, a Tv3 Journalist, won the Overall Young Professionals Role Model Award in the Male Category; whereas Mrs. Irene Asare, Director of Business Services, Tullow Oil, won the Overall Young Professionals Role Model Award in the Female version.

Mr. Andy Osei Okrah, the founding president of YPYC, said it was committed to bringing together the youth to network as a stronger force for the much-needed transformational leadership that Ghana and Africa needed.

It was the youth, he said, who could change Ghana from being a third world country into a first one, should they receive the necessary support and mentoring.

He, therefore, urged them to develop innovative ideas and projects to enable them to become strategic and transformational leaders.

Former President Rawlings, in the speech read by his representative, urged them to build strong alliances to be able to transform the fortunes of the nation.

 Strategic and transformational leaders, he said, must be fair, trustworthy, sincere, straightforward, and have sound moral principles.

He also entreated the youth to cultivate the values of patience and learn to persuade people onto their sides rather than using force to win.

Mr. Emmanuel Adu Sarkodee, CEO of CDH Investment Holdings, who chaired the event, said such award schemes were good for motivating the youth to actively participate in nation building.