On September 21, 2017, U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Officer Roberto Quiroz II attended the Young African Leaders and Entrepreneurs Summit (YALES) organized by Mr. Prince Busia Opoku, Executive Director of the Institute of Applied Human Excellence of Ghana (I.A.H.E Ghana) and members of the organization. The event welcomed over 250 youth and was sponsored by the C. Charles Jackson Foundation (CCJ) of the United States of America, through generous support to organize the annual YALES event and multi university leadership and entrepreneurship programs for youth.
The event’s keynote speaker was Dr. Bruce H. Jackson from CCJ, who urged the youth to develop their leadership potential, and noted that he has dedicated his career “to the development of individuals, teams, organizations, and communities that seek to maximize influence, leadership, and change.” He is the founder of The Institute of Applied Human Excellence, a training firm dedicated to helping individuals achieve peak performance. Other speakers included Minister of Information Honorable Mustapha Abdul-Hamid and Professor Ransford Gyampo from the University of Ghana, who exhorted the youth to see themselves as a new generation of leadership in Africa, and to contribute to shaping the future of African nations across all sectors.
In his remarks, Mr. Quiroz commended the sponsorship of CCJ as an example of the American private sector’s commitment to corporate responsibility programs that invest in communities around the world. He added: “Ambassador Robert P. Jackson has made building strong partnerships with young leaders like you one of our highest priorities. As he has said, he and the United States deeply believe in you and your potential to achieve any goal by earning an education, hard work, ethics, transparency, character, humility, perseverance, learning from failure and success alike, and uplifting the lives of others… America applauds your commitment to offer peaceful and constructive contributions towards empowering and uplifting your fellow youth and future generations through your efforts today.” He then answered questions from the audience, commended their dedication to participate in the program and expand their networks with youth who share their vision of peace and prosperity. Finally, he invited them to apply for the 2018 Mandela Washington Fellows program, adding: “The deadline for applications isWednesday, October 11. All of our alumni share the same passion and commitment as you to build that new Africa many of you are witnessing today.” See remarks here.
The U.S. Embassy’s participation in the program was part of our public outreach efforts to strengthen our partnerships with Ghanaians to empower youth, women, and girls.
