The Duchess of York, Sarah Margaret Ferguson, has hinted at a potential visit to Ghana to embark on a cleanup campaign with the GUBA Foundation.

The announcement was made during this year’s Commonwealth Youth Day celebrations in London, where she met Lady Dentaa Amoateng MBE, president of GUBA Enterprise.

“Dentaa, I know you are the queen of philanthropy in Ghana, and I wish to join you soon for a cleanup campaign there,” Sarah said.

As an advocate for climate change and plastic pollution, the Duchess's planned visit sparked excitement among Ghanaians at the event.

Lady Dentaa commented, “This is definitely good for the country to leverage the ideas and expertise of this global climate champion.”

“GUBA is excited to be at the forefront of this important visit, and we cannot wait to learn and tap into the Duchess’s knowledge and experiences as a climate change ambassador,” Lady Dentaa added.

The Commonwealth Youth Day

On August 12, 2024, the Commonwealth Secretariat, in collaboration with the Khalili Foundation and Peace One, hosted "Youth Live," a six-hour broadcast at Marlborough House in London to celebrate International Youth Day.

The event, hosted by Lady Dentaa and actor Dara Sing Khurana, served as a global platform to recognize the vital role young people play in fostering peace, democracy, and sustainable development.

Representatives from youth, peace-building, community, civil society, faith, and advocacy organizations participated in the event, which included an online broadcast featuring young people sharing inspiring stories and transformational initiatives.

The broadcast, which was live on the Commonwealth Secretariat’s website, YouTube channel, and the Commonwealth Youth Programme’s Facebook page, garnered 2.6 million views on YouTube and was streamed by over 80 media houses globally.

Acknowledging the challenges young people face in today's technology-driven world, Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland KC said: “I am always inspired by the energy, vision, and determination of the Commonwealth’s young people.

"During the Commonwealth Year of Youth, we have found various ways to uplift, amplify, and empower them.

"This broadcast is another way to showcase the work that they are doing, provide them with powerful opportunities to transform their lives, and give them avenues to engender meaningful change and promote peace.”

The Commonwealth Youth Programme has supported youth development work in member countries for over 50 years and will continue to focus on young people leading up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa later this year.

Emphasising the role of youth in peacebuilding, the Executive Director of the Khalili Foundation, Waqas Ahmed, stated: "At the Khalili Foundation, we enable peacebuilding through art, culture, and education.

"Over five decades of working in this area has convinced us that peace is best achieved when driven and sustained by the youth of any given society.

"So, we are proud to be supporting Youth Live in partnership with the Commonwealth, and we use this opportunity to encourage all youth with ideas for sustainable peacebuilding to apply to our Youth PEACE Awards as part of the Commonwealth Faith Festival."