African Youth Leadership For Change Network

25/05/2023

Today marks exactly 60 years since the establishment of the African Union.
60 years on, we need to do a very deep introspection with regards to our journey.
We need to ask ourselves a few questions in the cause of our introspection.

* First of all, we need to ask ourselves whether or not we have been able to achieve the objectives, mission and vision for which our fathers in the likes of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Emperor Haile Selassie, Modibo Keita etc established the Organisation for African Unity now African Union.

* To what extent has Africa been
emancipated?
* How United is Africa?
* Has Africa been able to overcome western domination through the platform of neocolonialism?

These are but a few questions Africans and most especially African Union must attempt to answer today and beyond as African Union commemorates her 60th anniversary.

May the good Lord help us on our journey of emancipation, unity and the fight against neocolonialism and may he help us by giving us the wisdom to elect the right leaders who will drive us to our desired destination.
The African Dream is still possible.
Happy 60th Anniversary to the African Union.
Long live the African Union and long live the African Continent.

07/03/2022

26/12/2021

It is said that no Great Leader is able to achieve greatness all alone. Even our Saviour Jesus Christ needed twelve Associates (Disciples) to enable him achieve greatness while he was on the earth.

Anytime we talk about Apartheid in South Africa, the first person who always comes to mind is Nelson Mandela.
In as much as Nelson Mandela achieved greatness with respect to the fight against Apartheid, the success would not have been possible without the immense contribution of people like Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Not only were you a Man of God who served in the vineyard of the Lord, but you were also a Human Rights Activist who stood and fought against all Forms of injustice.
You indeed served your Maker (God) and you also served humanity.

To be called to Glory to rest from all your labour's on earth at the Prime age of 90 is indeed a Blessing even though your absence will forever leave a vacuum in the hearts of your family members, friends and loved ones and even South Africa and the world at large.

If South Africa is free from Apartheid today, it is because people like you played a key role in the fight.
You have fought a good fight, you have run your race and you have finished your race. Now is the time to receive your crown of Glory from your Maker whom you dedicated your life to serve.

It is my prayer that your soul will find eternal rest in the bosom of your Maker.
My condolences to your family members, friends and loved ones and to the people of South Africa for this great loss.

Written by: Paul Drapson

17/07/2021

Happy Birthday 🎂 to one of the greatest Pan-Africanist of our time. You are a gift not only to your home country Kenya but to Africa, to the world, to your generation and generations yet unborn.

08/06/2021

https://youtu.be/a14WEAWFBvI

Message delivered by Paul Drapson - Founder/President

01/06/2021

This is the reason why most African Leaders are jokers. After all this pageantry and extravagant lifestyle, we troop to Europe to ask the very people who are so modest in their lifestyles as leaders for loans, grants and debt relief.
If this is not shameful, then I don't know what will qualifier to be shameful.
Africa Arise and wake up from your slumber.

16/02/2021

Several years ago, one of the greatest heros of our soil (Africa) Dr Kwame Nkrumah made a very profound and thought provoking statement.
He indicated that the "black man is capable of managing his own affairs".
I have personally said on many platforms and I will repeat myself anytime I get the opportunity that I 💯 % agree with Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

However I have always been of the view that the only time the black man will be in a position to manage his/her own affairs is when the black man builds capacity. Capacity building is a major aspect of human development, and having the right kind of human resource is the foundation to progress and development.
If people like Dr Kwame Nkrumah and Martin Luther King Jr were to be alive today, they probably would have been among the happiest people as it would have been an affirmation that their struggles and sacrifices had not been in vain.

History has been made today as Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala who is a Nigerian National and a former Finance Minister of Nigeria has been appointed as the first African and woman to head the World Trade Organization (WTO).

In as much as Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has made all Africans and Women proud, the question i have been asking myself is that "how come Africa has a wide range of experienced and rich human resource and yet we still find ourselves where we are as we have not really made much progress we can be proud of"?
This is however a question for another day.

To our parents in Africa who still have a primitive mindset with regards to educating the girl child as well as providing equal opportunities for the girl child, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has demonstrated that when women are given the opportunity, they can even do better than their male counterparts and I believe this is a great lesson for their reflection.

Dr Kwegyir Aggrey indicated emphatically that "if you educate a man, you educate an individual but if you educate a woman, you end up educating an entire community ".
Dr Kwegyir Aggrey couldn't have put it any better.

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala today is not just an asset to her family, neither is she only an asset to her community, nation or continent, but indeed she is a global asset.
Her achievement should serve as a platform to encourage our girls and young women to aspire to such great heights as she has made the whole world know that it is possible. If she has been able to do it, then the African girl child or young woman can do it also, therefore our women should never look down upon themselves.

The African Youth Leadership for Change Network is proud of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, her achievements and accomplishments and I believe Africa is also proud of her.
The African Youth Leadership for Change Network wishes her well and we ask for God's Wisdom and insight for her as she starts her new role and we have no doubt, that she would deliver to the admiration of all and also prove all her critics wrong if any.

By Paul Drapson

04/02/2021

https://youtu.be/3MEnMOjr4zQ

I was highly shocked when I watched this video only to hear President Museveni of Uganda who has been in power for over 30 years and is almost 80 years old indicate that he is in power for himself and not for the people and most importantly to work for his grandchildren and children.

I must confess that I respect his level of honesty because he has been bold enough to tell the whole world about the truth with regards to why he is in office.

However, this is a clear indication that Africans especially the Youth must begin to get wise. We need to rise up and begin to ensure that we take our destiny into our own hands.

Life is not and has never been fare especially as life does not and will never give you what you deserve but rather what you fight for.

The time has come especially for the African Youth to depart from partisan politics and begin to be nationalistic in our thinking and in our actions.
The question we must ask ourselves is that, what nation and continent do we expect our children to inherit?
We have a duty and a role to play in making our nations and continent a better place because if we fail to do so, posterity will never forgive us.

28/01/2021

In 2018 some leaders and members of the African Youth Leadership for Change Network had the privilege of paying a courtesy call on former President Jerry John Rawlings, the longest serving President of Ghana at his office in Accra, Ghana.

The meeting offered us an opportunity to drink from him deep well and wealth of experience and wisdom.
We discussed a number of issues relating to Africa and the role of the Youth in making Africa a force to reckon with.
Unfortunately due to time constraint, we were unable to conclude our discussions as the former President had a very tight schedule.

He however extended an open invitation to us to find time to have another meeting over lunch.
Unfortunately that meeting never happened until his demise on the 12th of November 2020.
His demise really came as a great shock to all of us especially as he had just buried his mother on the 24th of October 2020 at the age of 101.

It is no doubt that former President Rawlings was a man of humility, modesty, principle, courage, fearlessness, charisma and discipline. He was also a man of great humour.

After he left office in 2001, successive governments in recent years wrote to him to officially inform him of the government's decision to rename some national monuments after him.
He however wrote back declining the decision of government to rename any national monuments after him. This however affirms how modest he was as a leader.

It is worthy of note that former President Rawlings was a man who greatly believed in the youth and had a great deal of love for the youth.
This is however not surprising because he himself became Head of State as a military leader at the age of 32 years and he also appointed a number of young people into ministerial positions and other portfolios.This affirms how much he believed in the youth.

He was a man who believed in probity and accountability and he exhibited that throughout the 19 years he was Head of State. Interestingly he has been out of power for 20 years now and nobody has been able to point to properties in Europe, America, Dubai or even anywhere in Ghana owned by the former President.
Again former President Rawlings never had a foreign bank account for the 19 years he was in power. He only opened a foreign bank account after he had left office as President.

The former President was finally laid to rest yesterday.
On behalf of the Leadership and members of the African Youth Leadership for Change Network, I would like to extend our profound condolences to the wife and children of the former President, his entire family and the government and the people of Ghana.

You have indeed fought a good fight, you have run and finished the race, now is the time to rest from all your labour and to receive your crown of Glory from your maker.
May your soul rest in perfect peace Papa JJ.