On Joy News’ PM Express on Wednesday, October 28, former President John Agyekum Kufuor urged older Ghanaians to deliberately pass on their knowledge and experience to young people, arguing that mentorship could help the next generation assume leadership roles more quickly and effectively.
Speaking in a televised interview, Kufuor said the experiences he accumulated over decades of public service should not be lost but organized into practical lessons that could help young people navigate the challenges of leadership and national development. He noted that many young people today may not have the time or opportunity to undergo a similar apprenticeship, making it essential for older generations to share what they have learned.
"This is part of the reason I want to leave a legacy for the youth," Kufuor said. "I say I came to what I eventually ended in through a long apprenticeship. They may not be privileged to undergo such an apprenticeship with time." He added that his generation has a responsibility to package its experiences in ways useful to young people, including through foundations and mentorship programmes.
Kufuor highlighted that the current generation enjoys advantages in education, science and technology that previous generations did not. He pointed out that access to modern communication tools and digital technology has made it easier for young people to obtain information and learn at a faster pace. "I tend to believe the current generation is far better educated than your generation in earlier times," he said.
While acknowledging the value of older experience, Kufuor noted that technology can help young people build on that knowledge. He recalled that in the 1950s and 1960s, even a large city such as Kumasi had very limited telephone connections, with communication facilities far less accessible than they are today. The contrast, he said, demonstrates how much the world has changed and how technology has expanded opportunities for learning and communication.
He emphasized the need to combine the experience of older generations with the educational and technological advantages available to young people. By sharing the lessons of the past, he believes young people can understand how earlier generations overcame challenges and contributed to the country’s development. Structured mentorship, he said, could give them a clearer understanding of what has worked, what has failed and what could be improved.
Kufuor expressed hope that, equipped with such insights, young people would be able to build on the achievements of their predecessors and take society further. "If we put our experiences in such a package before them, I would expect them to quickly get insights into how we did it so they can do it even better," he said.
His comments underline the importance of intergenerational knowledge transfer and mentorship in preparing young people for leadership, while recognising the contribution that education and technology can make to their development.
