Friday, February 3, 2012

Africa needs a new culture of excellence

Speakers at the Springboard 2012 Roadshow have observed that attaining excellence among Africans requires a generation with a new culture and mindset that promotes excellence.

Speaking at the National Convocation under the theme ‘Promoting Excellence through Innovation & Technology’, the keynote speaker Dr. Mensa Otabil observed that the picture of Africa today is characterised by illiteracy, widespread poverty, disease, outmoded technology and war.

This, he said, is a complex problem that cannot be solved easily. “We must think, choose and act on our own. The future belongs to people who can think on their own with the competition in mind.

“To build a culture of excellence, we must originate new ways of possibilities and create a preferred future for ourselves. If we’re going to develop as a continent, we have to shift our focus from targetting political opponents to targetting development. If Africa wants to grow, we must surpass excellence; we must be a generation of thinkers,” said Dr. Mensa Otabil, who is also Chancellor of the Central University College.

The National Convocation of the Springboard Road Show, which took place at La-Accra over the weekend, was a massive assembly of successful chief executive officers, corporate executives and students in both secondary and tertiary institutions. It was meant to equip participants with requisite tools to develop themselves and commit to continental transformation by promoting a culture of personal excellence, career-enhancement, planning, investment and entrepreneurship.

The Springboard Road Show is a personal-development conference put together by the Springboard Road Show Foundation, a non-profit civil society organisation, in conjunction with Legacy and Legacy and a host of corporate partners.

Albert Ocran, Executive Director of the Springboard Road Show Foundation, dared participants to dream big and think globally in everything they do. He challenged the youth in the country to be informed, principled and excellent in their work. This will help build a better society and a stronger continent, and raise Africa’s own success stories.

He explained that the current knowledge economy rewards relevant information and problem- solving applications, and that ignorance has no place. “Feed your mind with information and find solutions to problems,” he stressed.

For his part, Daniel Asiedu, Managing Director of Zenith Bank Ghana, observed that Africa is currently coming under the spotlight of the international community.

“This calls for aggressive and sustainable development strategies to equip the youth, who are indeed the future of the continent, with tools and practical knowledge on technological advancement and innovation grounded on a culture of excellence. If there was a time when we needed an informed and capable youth in the nation, it is now.”

Outlining advantages of Africa’s youth, he said: “Africa is blessed with natural resources; some are yet to be discovered and the continent is an emerging market with a lot of untapped areas. “We live in the age of the youth, who are hungry for success and can be the driving force behind economic prosperity on the continent.”

Mr. Kwaku Sintim-Misa also said: “In Ghana, mediocrity prevails over excellence. We glorify things that are below average. You must make a conscious effort to shun mediocrity.”

He explained that one of the steps to achieving excellence is not to be afraid of failure. “Don’t be afraid of failure; it’s an opportunity to learn. The first time l did a show in Ghana, l sold 13 tickets, but that did not discourage me.”

The Springboard Road Show will now be held in the nine other regional capitals -- starting from the Fountain Gate Chapel in Bolgatanga on Saturday February 4; Radach Memorial Hall, Tamale, Tuesday February 7; and University of Development Studies (UDS) Auditorium, Wa, on Saturday February 11.

The road show will then continue at Sunyani Polytechnic Auditorium on Wednesday February 15; Calvary Charismatic Centre (CCC) Kumasi on Saturday February 18; New ICGC Church Complex, Koforidua, on Wednesday February 22; UCC Campus, Cape Coast on Saturday February 25; Takoradi Polytechnic Auditorium on Wednesday February 29; and Ho Polytechnic Auditorium for the grand finale on Saturday March 3.

No comments:

Post a Comment