Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kigsford Bagbin has launched, virtually, in Accra, this year’s Inter-Schools Public Speaking Competition, with a call on the contestants to use the platform to influence and change lives positively.

“Use public speaking to influence society positively,” Speaker Bagbin stressed.

He commended the formation of youth groups to participate in discussing national issues, saying such groups that ensured participation by the citizenry in governance must be encouraged by all.

Speaker Bagbin said: “The formation of youth groups and movements in response to the call of his Excellency the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to Ghanaians not to be spectators, but citizens in the governance of the country should be encouraged and supported by all well-meaning Ghanaians.

He added: “So youth groups such as Youth in Politics, youth in development, fix the country now are all positive developments that should be encouraged and supported and this resonates well with the call of the Interschool public speaking competition for the youth of Ghana to participate in the debate on nation-building.”

The theme for this year’s competition is: “Digital Inclusion: Promotion and Protection of Child Rights Online.”

Speaker Bagbin observed the facilitation of digital technology in mass communication, scholarship and research, business and commerce and medicine, and said it also kept businesses afloat in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Digital technology, the Speaker noted, however is challenged among others, by elusive digital identity which gives rise to cybercrime and online fraud.

Children are also vulnerable to cybercrimes.

Speaker Bagbin noted that a number of legislations in Ghana that are put in place to protect the people from digital infringements.

He suggested to the youth to tap deeply into their imagination in the search and application of knowledge to break new grounds in their endeavours as he wished the best orator to emerge from the competition.  

Birthed in 2020, the competition runs this year form 21st September 2021 to 20th November 2021; and is organized by DeeDee Global Limited, in partnership with Secretariat of the Speaker of Parliament, the Ghana Education Service, Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation, the Ghana National Data Centre/National Information Technology Agency and Data Protection Commission.

It is designed to discover, recognize and foster the dynamism, creativity and initiative of the Ghanaian youth in promoting a culture of patriotism and national development;

It is aimed at building a genre of speakers who will use public speaking to influence society positively; and offers students the acknowledgement and encouragement towards a successful career in public relations, compeering, film and advocacy.

According to the organizers, the entry video is a freestyle oration on the theme "DIGITAL INCLUSION: PROMOTION AND PROTECTION OF CHILD RIGHTS ONLINE."

Schools can use one or more persons to convey the theme under 3minutes. Videos beyond 3 minutes will be disqualified. Each school may enter ONLY one video for the competition. Shortlisted schools will proceed to subsequent stages.

The Grand Finale (plenary, that is, “Speaker of Speakers" Session) happens every year in-person on 20th November in order to join the UN and the rest of the world in commemorating Universal Children's Day.

This year's finals, therefore, is on Saturday, 20th of November, 2021.