Today’s youth are better educated than our generation – Kufuor

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor says today’s young people are better educated than his generation.

He believes access to modern technology gives them an advantage that older leaders must help them build on.

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Wednesday, he called on his generation to share its experience through mentorship. He said this would help young people navigate a world changing at speed.

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

Kufuor pointed to advances in science and technology. He said young people can now access information and learn at a pace unimaginable in his early years.

“In that sense, they are better prepared than their ancestors.”

He contrasted their opportunities with his own journey through law studies, legal practice and city administration. He explained that this gradual preparation took place when the world moved more slowly.

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

With new technologies, including artificial intelligence, accelerating change, Kufuor said young people may have little opportunity to follow the same lengthy path.

He argued that older leaders therefore have a responsibility to pass on the lessons they gathered over decades.

“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.”

For Kufuor, that responsibility is central to the legacy he wants to leave through his foundation. He wants younger people to draw on earlier generations' insights and use them to achieve more.

The John A. Kufuor Foundation supports youth leadership development through its Kufuor Scholars Programme. It supplements university education with three years of mentorship, coaching, skills training and practical learning.

The programme aims to nurture patriotic, selfless, community-minded leaders. It also encourages creative thinking and ethical problem-solving to prepare young people to contribute to national development.