The Chief Justice, Justice Anin Yeboah, has urged young people across the country to apply the best efforts in pursuing their career paths imbuing a strong sense of patriotism if Ghana was to become truly great.
He said devotion to the service of the country and the collective efforts of the citizens defined a great country, asking the youth to pursue these virtues.
“Your efforts are what will make this country, like those ones beyond the seas that I am sure you admire.
“It took the efforts of people like you, some only a few years older than some of you here today, to produce those inventions, those ideas and those projects that have made some countries answer to the description of ‘developed.’
The task I set for you is, to also see yourself as capable of doing the same for Ghana,” he remarked.
The Chief Justice made these comments when addressed a section of Junior High School (JHS) and Senior High School (SHS) students and head porters ‘Kayayei’ at this year’s Chief Justice Mentoring Programme at the Supreme Court under the theme “I pledge myself to the service of Ghana” on Wednesday.
The annual programme introduced in 2007 during the tenure of Former Chief Justice, Justice Georgina Wood is designed to inspire young people to take up service to the nation especially in the judiciary as well as other noble professions.
It also aimed to expose students to the functions of the judiciary as well as provide an opportunity to interact with the judges.
Justice Yeboah also admonished the youth to only explore the positive aspects of technology and to shun its excesses which he described as distracting and dangerous.
Delivering a speech on behalf of the first lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, the special guest of honour, Barbara Oteng Gyasi, chairperson of the board of directors of the Minerals Commission told the youth to believe in the beauty of their dreams as she never dreamt of becoming First Lady.
“We live in a time of possibilities. Embrace the challenges of the future at this tender age by preparing yourself to serve the country.
“Start by keeping your environment clean and identifying problems around you that you can employ technology to solve,” she said.
On his part, country representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Mr Barnaba Yisa, in remarks read on his behalf, hailed their association to the programme for the past five years which he said had immensely empowered young girls who were out of school to pursue meaningful dreams.
He added that it had helped reduce sexual-based violence, which his entity was strongly advocating against.
As part of the programme, Court of Appeal judge, Justice Eric Kyei Baffour, Ghana School of Law Director, Yaw Oppong and Ghana Bar Association President Yaw Achempong Boafo took turns to address the participants.
They touched on how the youth should remain determined, how to become a lawyer and national orientation and patriotism respectively.
Court of Appeal judge, Justice Georgina Mensah Datsa and Chairperson of the National Commission of Civic Education(NCCE), Ms Kathleen Addy counselled them on the functions of the judiciary and responsible citizenship.
The participants were drawn from 10 schools, five each from the JHS and SHS levels.
The SHS schools comprised Adjen Kotoku SHS, Kwabenya SHS, Frafraha SHS, Amasaman SHS and Al-Basar SHS.
The JHS schools were Morning Star School, EP Church JHS, Achimota JHS, Martyrs of Uganda JHS and the School for the Blind, Akropong.
Other participants were Kayayei under the care of the UNFPA and orange girls.
BY NANA BENTSI ODURO
