Managing Director of Republic Bank (Ghana) PLC, Dr Benjamin Dzoboku, has urged the youth to make deliberate use of their time and talents, cautioning them against allowing social media and other distractions to consume hours that could be invested in building their future.

He said every person, regardless of background or circumstance, had the same 24 hours each day, but the way those hours were utilised could ultimately determine how far an individual went in life.

Dr Dzoboku made the observation in an interview on Joy FM’s Personality Profile programme with Lexis Bill on Thursday, September 17, 2026, during which he shared advice for young people seeking to make progress in their personal and professional lives.

“You know what I would tell them is that every human being on this planet has 24 hours,” he said.

He said the increasing influence of social media had become a major challenge, particularly when young people devoted substantial amounts of their time and attention to activities that did not contribute meaningfully to their development.

“So now social media is taking a lot of attention of people that will not add value to you,” Dr Dzoboku said.

According to him, time was one of the few resources available equally to everyone, making its effective use a crucial factor in determining individual progress.

“The 24 hours the way you utilize it will determine how far you will go,” he said.

He therefore encouraged young people to be intentional about what they did with their time, urging them to concentrate on activities that developed their abilities, strengthened their knowledge and moved them closer to their aspirations.

“And therefore I will advise the youth, especially that whatever they are doing, they should just be consistent and focus,” he said.

Dr Dzoboku said consistency and focus were particularly important in an environment where young people were constantly exposed to competing demands for their attention.

He cautioned that spending valuable hours on activities that did not add value could have consequences for their future.

“If the 24 hours is for everybody and they are using this to do different things that will not add value to themselves, then they must automatically know that they will fail, and I don't want them to fail,” he said.

A call to purposeful living

The Republic Bank MD’s message goes beyond simply reducing time spent on social media. At its core, it is a call for young people to become deliberate about how they deploy their time, talents and attention.

He encouraged the youth to recognise that progress requires sustained effort and a commitment to making productive use of the opportunities available to them.

He also linked his advice to a sense of responsibility and accountability, urging young people to make the most of the time available to them.

Building the future

Dr Dzoboku’s advice comes against the backdrop of his own professional journey, which has taken him from his early working life into senior leadership in the banking sector.

His message to the youth is that talent alone is not enough; how that talent is developed and deployed through consistent effort is equally important.

He therefore urged young people to guard their attention, remain focused on their goals and resist distractions that could prevent them from making meaningful progress.

The challenge, he said, is not about having more time than others but making better use of the time available.