Ghana marked its 62nd Republic Day anniversary with a National Cadet Corps parade from groups of basic, junior, and senior high schools, across the country at the Black Star Square.
Ghana’s Republic Day is celebrated on July 1 every year. The day marks the establishment of Ghana as a sovereign republic in 1960, though the nation gained independence from the British in 1957.
The commemoration exercise, which was held on the theme: “Working together through volunteerism, bouncing back together”, witnessed more than 10,000 youth in various groups, taking turns to march in regimented order, which ended in a formation that illustrated the phrase, “Youth will do better through volunteerism.”
The occasion featured several other drills by the cadet groups as well as performances by a Taekwondo detachment, also made up of young men and women.
Delivering the keynote address, on behalf of the Chief of Staff, the Deputy Chief of Staff, Emmanuel Adumua-Bossman, emphasized the need for the state to invest more in the youth, and reinstall the core values of our forefathers, namely the values of patriotism, volunteerism, and sacrifice to the nation and state in the youth to be good future leaders.
Adding to that he stressed that investing in the youth and creating opportunities for them to utilize their talents for economic gains would help protect them from negative influences, especially internal conflicts, insurgency groups, and terrorism.
“It is an indisputable fact that the youth of this country constitute about 60 percent of the population and any investment given to them today, is a positive investment for the future of our society.
I have no debt that various organisations and individuals have contributed significantly to youth development in the country. We can continue to invest in the youth in various ways such as in music, sports, camping, and other educational competitions that engage them so that no individuals or groups of people could influence them negatively,” he said.
He stated further that the issue of volunteerism in Ghana today is little understood, however, he is happy that the youth has recognized the fact that it is possible to work together and bounce back together through volunteerism by participating in the commemoration event as volunteers.
The deputy chief of staff promised the national cadet secretariat that an ultra-modern office complex and a 4×4 station wagon would be provided in the shortest possible time.
National Cadet Coordinator, Nicholas Nii Tettey Amarteifio, on his part, explained that the essence of the parade was to emphasize the willingness of the youth to volunteer and contribute their quota toward national development.
He, therefore, called on the government to support the fraction of youth who were ready to volunteer for the country in different capacities.
Furthermore, he called on the security services to help the youth achieve the volunteerism goal by prioritising members of the cadet corps during the national recruitment exercise.
Going forward, the deputy chief of staff indicated that a petition will be presented to the president to make the day a national day for the youth which would be used to discuss issues of youth development.
