The Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Dr Eric Nkansah has commended Drive to Inspire–Africa for its focal role in inspiring and monitoring the youth, particularly girls.
Drive to Inspire–Africa, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) with the overarching objective of motivating and challenging teenagers and young adults (especially girls) to reach their God-given potential.
Speaking at a fundraising event in Accra on Wednesday, 27th March, Dr. Eric Nkansah pledged to rally support to expand the organisation’s noble mission.
He said, "Your dedication to inspiring and mentoring teenagers and young adults, particularly girls, is truly commendable and deserving of celebration. It reflects a commitment to nurturing future leaders who will positively impact their homes, communities, and countries.
“As we unite to empower and mentor African youth, particularly girls, we recognise the transformative potential in widening their horizons. This formal launch marks a pivotal stride in enhancing education in Ghana, fostering collaboration, and shaping a brighter future.”
“Together, let us forge an educational landscape that equips our students with the skills to excel and contribute meaningfully to Ghana’s development.”
The United Nations resident coordinator, Charles Abbani, mentioned that, Ghana’s greatest asset for its self-reliant future lies in its people. Thus, investing in human capital lies at the heart of the United Nation’s mission.
He added that, “Ghana’s greatest asset lies in its people. Investing in their potential and empowerment is fundamental to our mission. By nurturing human capital, we pave the way for a self-reliant future, where every individual can contribute meaningfully to our nation’s prosperity and resilience.”
He added that, amid the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, SDG 17 on partnerships stands as a linchpin for progress. With focus on key areas like food systems, energy, and education underscores the UN’S commitment to transformative action.
“As we strive to achieve our goals, partnerships play a pivotal role, particularly highlighted by SDG 17. Collaboration allows us to address critical challenges such as education and climate change effectively. Together, we can harness the collective power of diverse stakeholders to drive transformative impact and create a brighter future for all,” he said.
On her part, founder of Drive to Inspire-Africa, Nana Adjoa Hackman recounted how the NGO was established.
“In July, 2023, I marked my 45th birthday with the incorporation of drive to inspire Africa. A whole lot has happened since then. I applied to KPMG and asked them to come on board as a partner accountability partner. Thankfully, they did. So did the Ghana Education Service.
“Statistics like the fact that almost 60% of the population of our continent is under the age of 25 and youth unemployment is more than double that of adult unemployment, underscored for me the critical point that in order for Africa to achieve the level of transformation that we all desire, the mindset of our youth must be transformed. They must be inspired, motivated, guided and supported to not only learn, but also to have an unshakable can do spirit. They must be free to dream and they must be guided to have the courage to manifest their dreams.
“This is why we picked the tagline inspiring minds, empowering youths empowering youths transforming Africa ladies and gentlemen, the vision the mission of drive to inspire is to build a generation of confident and capable leaders on our continent using the transformative forces of education and mentorship,” she said.
She announced that the NGO will soon start a scholarship programme.
”We believe in the mantra that society must not only prepare a better future for the youth but must also prepare the youth to build a better future for themselves. We have set out to achieve this through our activities, which include career guidance, character building and personal development talks, adolescents’ health education and mentorship for girls.”
In a few months, with your kind help, we will be starting our scholarship program. It no doubt is a worthy course. The idea is to establish a template that works in the three regions we currently operate in Greater Accra, eastern and central, and then scale up to cover the rest of Ghana while developing a franchise system to run that template in other countries in Africa as well,” she said.
The event which took place on (Wednesday 27th, March) at the Alisa Hotel, served as both the official launch and first fundraiser. The initiative aims to empower African youth and drive transformative impact across communities.
The ceremonial unveiling of the plaque was gracefully carried out by the founder, accompanied by esteemed partners such as KPMG, Ghana Education Service, Devtraco Estate, alongside other valued collaborators. The symbolic gesture marked a moment of collective recognition and celebration, underscoring the collaborative spirit and shared commitment towards the initiative’s mission and goals.
About Drive to Inspire
Drive to Inspire-Africa was established by Nana Adjoa Hackman in July 2023, the initiative was born amidst a milestone birthday celebration.
The initiative seeks to mentor teenagers and young adults, especially girls between the ages of 13 and 25 years.
Drive to Inspire-Africa, believes in the society’s role to empower the youth to shape their own futures. Through career guidance, character building, personal development talks, health education, and mentorship for girls, the initiative aims to achieve this objective.
With the forthcoming scholarship program of Drive to Inspire-Africa, which will further establish cause; they plan to establish a scalable model in Greater Accra, Eastern, and Central regions, expanding across Ghana and beyond, with a franchise system for broader African impact.
