Fast-changing world leaves youth little time for the apprenticeship I had – Kufuor

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor says today’s youth may not have time for the long apprenticeship that prepared him for leadership.

Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Wednesday, he said rapid technological change demands a quicker transfer of experience between generations.

“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.”

Kufuor traced his development through legal studies, law practice and city administration. The world moved more slowly then, allowing him to learn through successive roles.

Today’s young people face a different pace, driven by new technologies, including artificial intelligence.

He said that shift places a responsibility on older generations. They must turn their accumulated experience into lessons young people can absorb and apply quickly.

“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.”

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

The John A. Kufuor Foundation promotes effective leadership, good governance and socioeconomic development. Its Kufuor Scholars Program offers university students three years of leadership preparation through mentorship, coaching, skills training and practical activities.

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

For Kufuor, this support should build on the strengths young people already possess.

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

He pointed to their preparation in science and technology, as well as their access to information through mobile phones.

Recalling Kumasi in the 1950s and 1960s, he contrasted the limited availability of telephones with the tools now within young people’s reach.

He said those tools let them learn quickly. His generation's task is to make its experience accessible enough to help them advance.

He expects that combination of modern education and inherited experience to give young people insights into how earlier generations developed society—and equip them to do better.