Our transformational leadership programme, Debate-to-Action, has taken off in northern Ghana amidst exciting events.
The programme recognises that young people have an essential role to play in development and provides them with the training they need to become effective in helping their countries achieve the UN’s Millennium Development Goals. It was launched in August 2006 as a joint initiative of the British Council and the World Bank Institute.
The launch in March in Bolgatanga, the municipal capital of the Upper East Region, was a major step in the project’s expansion and follows months of workshops and preparatory work by the local DTA team.
Events began with a facilitators’ programme which focused on the Millennium Development Goals, the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy and grassroots development initiatives by youth organizations.
Ayine Akolga, a member of the Youth Mentoring Centre in Bolgatanga and a beneficiary of the DTA facilitators programme, says, ‘In this part of the country, female education is most often seen as a waste of resources. But through my work, I have been able to influence a man to send his daughter to school. To me, that is a great achievement. One influence can cause a chain reaction. [The] British Council’s intervention here is very timely.’
As part of the launch the British Council and World Bank team inaugurated a Community Information Centre and the Regional National Service Office. These centres were presented with a number of computers and accessories as well as sponsorship for internet access. The team also launched the Schools Savings Club in Bolgatanga and Sandema.
A leadership training seminar was organised for youth leaders who had taken part in earlier facilitator workshops leading up to the launch. Says Mama Agei, a schoolteacher and mother of one of the youth leaders, ‘We have had a lot of difficulties in recent times. I have a daughter who cannot see anything good in this region. Her negative attitude not only affects her but all her relations. I am happy to see her positive attitude after joining one of DTA’s youth groups. Her positive attitude is quite infectious. Knowing how to create wealth in your immediate environment is an education we all need.’
Adding to the festivities was a bicycle ride through the streets of Bolgatanga dubbed ‘I-Ride for Development’, which saw more than 900 people mount their bikes. But while the I-Ride drew huge crowds, it was nothing compared to the 19,000 people who turned out at St John’s Park in the evening to watch the Northern Legends concert organised by the DTA team to close the launch.
Hordes of people travelled from nearby towns in cars and on horses and donkeys for the homecoming for King Ayisoba and Batman Samini, two musicians who hail from Northern Ghana.
Says Stephen Agyei, Senior Development Manager for Youth Africa, ‘DTA-Upper East Region has taken off in a very massive way that will unquestionably bring about the right outcome for our young people. I believe the sky is the limit’.
Find out more about how the British Council is making a difference in Africa by visiting our Africa pages.
| 
