An author and pro-youth development activist, Mr Andy Osei Okrah, has called on Ghanaians to be proactive in the selection of their leaders as good leaders can bring about the rapid development in the country.
According to him, selecting competent leaders should be the collective responsibility of every Ghanaian and should not be taken for granted.
Mr Okrah made this call during the launch of his 212-page book, “You are a leader,” in Accra yesterday.
The book, outlines the strategies to unearth the leadership skills in an individual and brings to light, the immense benefits of true leadership in governance.
It also highlights the pivotal role leaders play in organisational leadership.
Mr Okrah emphasised that “when the citizens realise that the goals of developing Ghana is a collective decision then that is when we can work together.”
He urged Ghanaians to avoid living under the impression that they have elected people to develop the nation, hence they the citizenry would develop behaviour tendency that are retrogressive to progress.
Performing the launch, Secretary-General of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, Dr Mohammed IbnChambas, who wrote the foreword of the book commended Mr Okrah for such an insightful book.
He said that the book if read by many Ghanaians would develop them towards leadership roles and also allow them to appreciate leaders for their everyday sacrifice.
In his remarks, the former Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Samuel Sarpong, described the book as an academic breakthrough since books like these were needed to train the younger generation to understand and grasp leadership roles.
He said leadership was key for a country’s develop and also make it become a powerful nation as it was evident in countries like the United Arab Emirates, China and United States of America.
According to Dr Sarpong, visionless leadership creates weak societies, weak structures and births indiscipline societies which in turn become the breeding grounds for social vices that impedes development, hence the need for attitudinal change.
He implored government to provide all district assemblies with copies of the book in order to effect attitudinal change that would bring about growth at the local level.
In attendance were the National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress, Samuel OfosuAmpofo; Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana, Mr SelormAdadevoh; Members of Parliament; Municipal Chief Executives; old students; clergy; family and well-wishers.
The first copy was sold for GH¢ 10,000.
BY JESSEL LARTEY THERSON-COFIE
