Ghanaian Youth to Benefit From Prince of Wales Foundation

The Prince of Wales Charitable Foundation, an organization that supports young people and education, as well as global sustainability is to extend its support to Africa, starting from Ghana.

Prince Charles announced this Monday at a public lecture at the Accra International Conference Centre, Accra, on the theme "Commonwealth - Towards a Common Future".

Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, are on a four-day visit to Ghana, as part of a week's tour of West Africa that had already taken them to Gambia.

Prince Charles noted that 68 per cent of the 2.3 billion Commonwealth population are under 30 years and therefore it is imperative that "this young population are given the needed education and expertise to create viable businesses and a prosperous future for member countries".

Commenting on Ghana since his last visit in 1977, he observed that the country had transformed rapidly acknowledging that, "while other countries had suffered greatly through strives and religious intolerance, Ghana had endured through its diversity and remained stable over the years".

Ghana's political stability and its enviable democratic governance is admired by the world, the Prince of Wales stated and commended Civil Society Organizations for their impressive contributions to Ghana's democratic journey.

Prince Charles bemoaned the slave trade, saying "it was most dehumanizing and had left a scar on the conscience of Europe, particularly the United Kingdom".

Next year will be centenary since the World War II "it is important to remember all those gallant men who fell during the Second World War", he said.

Prince Charles mentioned that Ghana's first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah played a key role in the formation of the Commonwealth and therefore it was imperative that the country takes a leading role in transforming it meet the aspirations of the current generation.

The Prince of Wales said President Nana Akufo-Addo shared in his aspirations to transform the Commonwealth to deal with abject poverty, deprivation and hunger that had characterized some member countries.

Prince Charles bemoaned the unregulated fishing activities, indiscriminate disposal of plastic waste into the oceans that had had a damning impact on climate change, adding that the thousands of tonnes of rubber plastics dumped into the sea were very alarming which was fast affecting the eco system.

Ghana must take the lead on the continent to reduce, if possible, eradicate the menace that was fast degrading the sea ecosystem, Prince Charles stated.

He again charged Ghana to play an important part just as it had played in the past to deepen the cordial relations between member states to confront the current challenge in climate change".

The function was attended by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. Also present were former Presidents Jerry John Rawlings, John Agyekum Kufuor, and John Dramani Mahama.

The rest were Ministers of State, Ghana's High Commissioner in London, Paapa Owusu Ankomah, British High Commissioner Iain Walker, Heads of departments, security chiefs and other bigwigs.

The foundation established by the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, in 1979, operates primarily as a grant making trust and uses income raised from its trading subsidiaries to support charitable causes to make strategic impact for good. It also supports a wide range of causes - building environment, responsible business and enterprise.

Source: ISD (Rex Mainoo Yeboah)

Photo: ISD (Patience Lartey)

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