My generation owes young people mentorship – Kufuor

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor says his generation owes young people mentorship and should share lessons from its long journey through public life.

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Wednesday, he said rapid technological change leaves today’s youth little time to follow the lengthy apprenticeship that shaped his career.

“So my generation should feel a responsibility to sort of package the experiences we had to go through to get to where we are, because I believe in the intergenerational evolution of society.”

Kufuor was responding to a question about young people’s attraction to visible success, including flashy houses and cars, and the journey behind those achievements.

He explained that he developed in a slower world. There was time to move from studying law into legal practice, city administration and other responsibilities.

“I say I came to what I eventually ended up in through a long apprenticeship. They may not be privileged to undergo such an apprenticeship with time.”

With artificial intelligence and other technologies accelerating change, he said older people must make their experience accessible to the next generation.

He explained that this responsibility is part of his motivation to leave a legacy through his foundation.

Kufuor also challenged assumptions about today’s youth being prepared. He said their education and access to technology give them advantages his generation lacked.

“I tend to believe the current generation is far better educated than our generation.”

He contrasted today’s access to information through mobile phones with his experience in the 1950s and 1960s, when telephones were scarce even in Kumasi.

“They can learn very fast. In that sense, they are better prepared than their ancestors.”

For Kufuor, mentorship offers a way to combine those advantages with the practical lessons older generations have acquired. The aim is to help young people gain insights quickly and improve on what their predecessors achieved.

The John A. Kufuor Foundation pursues that ambition through its Kufuor Scholars Program. The three-year programme supplements university education with leadership training, mentorship, coaching and practical activities.

It seeks to nurture patriotic, ethical and community-minded leaders who can solve problems and contribute to national development. Its activities include leadership camps, internships and personal projects.