On Tuesday, 15 September, Minister for Youth Development George Opare Addo urged the Russian government to widen its partnership with Ghana beyond the executive level and into the country’s rural communities. Speaking on the sidelines of the 2026 International Youth Festival in Ekaterinburg, he said the current arrangement “has not been able to go down to those beneath us, and so we expect a lot more to be done so that people down can get more.”
Mr Addo said he expected the Russian government to reach out more to Africa in terms of support and infrastructure development, insisting that initiatives should reach ordinary Ghanaians rather than remain concentrated among the political elite. He praised Russia’s long‑standing relationship with Ghana, noting that President John Dramani Mahama enjoys good relations with Moscow, and affirmed Ghana’s openness to further cooperation.
The remarks came as thousands of young leaders from 191 countries gathered for the festival, which runs from 11 to 17 September 2026 under the motto “Follow Your Dream.” The event, part of Russia’s Youth and Children national project following a decree signed by President Vladimir Putin on 29 December 2025, brings together 10,000 young leaders, including 1,000 teenagers and representatives from creative industries, public administration, science, education, sport, entrepreneurship, media, digitalisation, IT and civic engagement.
In the first edition held in March 2024 in Sirius, 20,000 young leaders from 190 countries participated. The festival is now held annually across Russia to strengthen international youth cooperation and build a community of young people who care about the future of the world.
Mr Addo’s call signals Ghana’s desire for deeper, grassroots‑level collaboration with Russia, hoping that future initiatives will benefit rural communities and ordinary citizens alike.
