Vice President Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang has engaged with thousands of students at the PENSA (Pentecost Students and Associates) Ghana conference in Gomoa Fetteh. The event, held simultaneously at five centers across Ghana, brought together some of the young people already shaping Ghana’s future.
The Vice President spoke on the theme “Achieving Leadership and Academic Excellence.
She stated that ”leadership and academic excellence are not accidental outcomes but the result of intentional cultivation rooted in strong values, Intellectual strain, uncertainty, and doubt should not be viewed as obstacles, but as the very training ground that shapes credibility, discipline, and character”.
She also cautioned against academic dishonesty, which is not a minor issue but an early warning sign of declining standards.
”What students practice in private, often determines how they act in public life”, the Vice President reminded student leaders that leadership must always prioritize the collective good, with special attention to the vulnerable. They must recognize their privilege and use their education to uplift others, including those with disabilities.
”I encourage the students to embrace entrepreneurship and seize opportunities, Ghana’s next phase of development will require not only credentials but also initiative, creativity, and the willingness to turn ideas into solutions, research into impact, and skills into value”, she posited.
The young women should also remember that their presence in leadership spaces is earned and essential. I asked them to remain grounded in their values and confident in their abilities, even when faced with uneven expectations.
Vice President Opoku-Agyemang said, ”the future is not something that begins after graduation; it is being created now, Academic excellence is a discipline, not a performance, and the Ghana we aspire to build will require responsibility, integrity, and service from all of us”, she noted.
