The Ankobeahemaa of Ahwerase Traditional Area in the Akuapem South Municipality of the Eastern Region, Nana Akosua Sekyibea I, known in private life as Nehanda Sankofa-Ra, has urged Africans, particularly Ghanaians, to leverage the continent’s potential.

Africa can boast of fertile lands that produce tropical fruits, vegetables, cereals, cocoa, and the rest. Abundant natural resources such as diamonds, gold, salt, iron, cobalt, uranium, and others are found on a large scale in Africa.

However, the continent has experienced famine, wars, political instability, and unemployment.

According to the Queen, much effort has not been put into educating Africans about the full potential of their respective countries. A situation she said had led to the migration of the youth to Europe in search of greener pastures in recent times.

She made this call on Sunday, December 25, 2022, in Elmina on ways to make Africa and Ghana a better place. She called for a partnership between the Diaspora and Ghana to ensure that numerous potentials are realized.

The Queen said Ghana in particular has resources that can change the fortunes of the country. She touched on foreign exchange, infrastructural development, job creation, and assisting women in entrepreneurial endeavors as benefits that could be derived from fully leveraging Ghana’s potential.

She noted that the youth of Ghana can optimize their full potential by availing themselves of the numerous solutions to crime, unemployment, and other social vices that have characterized Ghana over the years.

"I believe an industrious youth front will aid in effectively changing the status quo and make Ghana and Africa, in general, a better place for an industrial revolution geared towards poverty eradication and better living conditions. When the youth are industrious and work to brighten the corner where they live, it will create a conducive environment for more businesses to spring up.

"They must be entrepreneurial-minded in order to contribute to Ghana's economic prospects, generate income, and boost their financial confidence. Educating the youth on the importance of being their own bosses will empower them in the short and long run," she said.

The Ankobeahemaa stressed the need to educate individuals of African descent for a better understanding of African history. She said Africans, and for that matter, some Ghanaians, have not been able to leverage the nation’s full potential due to a lack of education in the environment where they find themselves.

"In this era where technology has taken centre stage in everything we do as a society, I think there should be a need to educate our people on various histories, from the period of slavery to contemporary times. By so doing, the Ghanaians, and for that matter, the Africans will believe in themselves and the continent.

"Issues of misinformation and fake news will be a thing of the past, as knowledge is power. She was quick to point out that "the continent's potential can be leveraged in our attempt to positively write the African story right. We must have a more realistic agenda aimed at believing that a better African continent will be to our advantage," she said.

On supporting women financially as a way of ensuring that they reach their full potential, the Queen indicated that it will help them get start-up capital to do their businesses. She said that women play an active role in every family setting, stressing that their contributions to the survival of the family are par excellence.

Advocating the need to support women financially and promoting cohesion, and creative business ideas, she said, will boost confidence levels among beneficiaries.

"We set up a foundation to donate to women and children in some parts of Africa. Looking at the problems women faced in Ghana and the rest of Africa, we took it upon ourselves to support them financially.

"Through our initiative, we succeeded in providing microloans for women and sponsoring children in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This helped to alleviate their suffering and provided the beneficiaries with some financial independence”, she noted.

For his part, the Queen’s husband, Patrick Cobbinah, touched on hard work as a way of changing the fortunes of our nation. He blamed the current issues the nation faces on over-politicization and mismanagement of the state’s resources by past and present administrations.

"Over-politicization and mismanagement are the cankers that continue to wreak havoc on us." I am of the conviction that when we eschew the above and encourage the youth to be proactive and demonstrate diligence, Ghana will be a better place. "Let's continue to treat Ghana as our own company and watch how it grows in the days ahead of us," he admonished.