About 400 Form 1 and Form 2 students at Wa Senior High School participated in the inaugural GhanaThink Junior Camp programme in the Upper West Region, where professionals from law, medicine, arts, tourism, entrepreneurship, higher education, and media urged them to make deliberate career choices and take full advantage of mentorship opportunities.

The camp, organised under the GhanaThink Foundation in partnership with Wilma Youth Club, aims to connect students in school with mentors across different career fields through group sessions, networking, and question-and-answer sessions.

Speaking at the opening, Ramla Yahaya, Team Lead, Junior Camp and Great Wasec representative, said the programme is designed to guide students in school, while a separate programme targets youth aged 18 to 35 for remote job training and mentorship.

“Junior Camp is here to bring mentors from different career paths – from art to law to medicine, to nursing, you name it,” Miss Yahaya said.

“Any career you are interested in pursuing after SHS, we have mentors here who will take you through group mentorship sessions. You’ll have the opportunity to network with them and ask as many questions as possible.”

She urged the over 400 students present to be inquisitive and prepare questions, noting that the school has about 1,700 students in Form 1 and Form 2.

“If I were among all of you, I’d say it’s a great opportunity to meet these very resourceful mentors. Take full advantage of it.”

Syeduo Bomanjo, a journalist with Ghana Broadcasting Corporation’s Radio Upper West, told students that their current decisions would shape their future.

“I’m a trained journalist, way back in 1995. In those times, there were no opportunities. But today, as we move on, there are a lot of opportunities. But the choice you make today will indeed decide what you become in the future,” he said.

He warned against choosing careers out of convenience, saying, “If you don’t make the right decision today and you end up in an area out of convenience, I believe you’ll regret it forever. We don’t want that to happen to you.”

Abdul Aziz Pelpuo, popularly called Ras Bop Pelpuo, a professional tour guide and national executive member of the Tour Guides Association of Ghana, highlighted tourism as a key driver of economic growth.

“Today, we shall be talking about an industry that I will call the most important part of Ghana’s economy because it has ripple or multiplier effects. Tourism affects every other sector of the economy,” he said.

Mr Pelpuo, who graduated from Wa SHS 23 years ago, said his career started while he was still a student there.

He encouraged students to be interested in travel, tourism, and hospitality and to engage with him during the sessions.

President of the Wilma Youth Club, Josephine Naab, explained the LEAM model guiding the club’s work with young people: Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Advocacy, and Mentorship.

She said the model emphasises personal leadership first, then entrepreneurship, to help youth create opportunities locally rather than migrating to cities under difficult conditions.

On advocacy, she stressed the importance of education and health for young people’s development.

“Education should be prioritised. If you educate yourself and go out there, you bring more opportunities to your immediate community,” Miss Naab said.

She added that the club shares scholarships and other opportunities via a WhatsApp channel to ensure no young person is left behind.

Dr Eunice Wulimiga Bangniyel addressed students interested in medicine and allied health fields.

“It’s a privilege to stand before you to mentor you into medicine and health professions — nursing, midwifery, pharmacy, physician assistant, or anything health,” she said.

A lawyer at the Office of the Attorney General's Department, Juana Fynn-Wills Pipson, introduced herself as a lawyer, former banker, entrepreneur, and women’s advocate.

“I am particularly interested in girls. When I go to any gathering and I see a lot of girls, it excites me,” she said.

Law lecturer at the University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS) School of Law, Gias Daudi, tackled common misconceptions about the legal profession.

“When you mention law, most of us will say ‘a lawyer is a liar,’ isn’t it true? Today we’ll find out whether a lawyer is really a liar and whether a liar should be a lawyer,” he said.

The GhanaThink Junior Camp programme brings together professionals from multiple fields to run group mentorship sessions with Form 1 and Form 2 students, giving them a chance to ask questions and build networks before choosing career paths after SHS.