The 2020 edition of the Apostolic Faith Church Youth National Camp which was opened recently at the church’s main auditorium at Aplaku near Kokrobite in the Ga South Municipality of the Greater Accra Region will focused on creativity, innovation and self-realization.

Organized under the auspices of the Youth Development Directorate of the church, the programme attracted hundreds of youths from the community.

They were taken through various youth empowerment skills with a focus on creativity and innovation.

The programme falls under the church’s strategic policy direction to build a formidable youth to represent the church in future.

Held under the theme 'Restoring The Grace', the participants were taking through spiritual empowerment, Bible lessons and career counseling to enable them to choose the right career in the future.

The church hopes that exposure received from the forum will help the youth to know the areas where they need to be strengthened with an emphasis to restore their relationship with God.

Speaking during the programme, the General Overseer of the church Rev. John Adade Bekoe said the church believes the future depends on the youth who need to be brought up with a purposeful direction to enable them to discover their hidden potentials through adulthood.

With Ghana's high unemployment rate, Rev. Bekoe hopes that the skills the youth will develop through the training will make them self-sufficient.

He advised parents to take full responsibility of their children’s upbringing.

He noted that since children, in their first development years, are influenced by what goes on at home, parents should ensure that they spend more time with their children at home and impact good life lessons they can live with for the rest of their lives.

He added that parents should also teach their children about patriotism as it plays a critical role in the development of the nation.

On his part Rev. Dr. John Ansah a lead speaker of the programme said the solution to the current graduate unemployment problem facing the country is to increase awareness on innovation and creativity.

He said embracing innovation and creativity at basic school level would go a long way to empower them to become self-reliant after school.

Rev. Dr Ansah, however, disagreed that leadership failure is to be blamed for the high unemployment rate in the country.

He said it was time to encourage young people to appreciate economic empowerment that can lead them to financial independence in the future.

"We weren't able to do it in the past and we have seen it is not helping us now, so we want to catch them young so that they grow with it."

He appealed to Ghanaians to take issues of skill development, creativity and innovation very seriously as it will reduce youth unemployment in the country.