NELEF 2026: Emerging leaders urged to take responsibility for Ghana’s development
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of VODEC Africa and Convener of the National Emerging Leaders’ Economic Forum (NELEF), Daniel Asomani, has urged young Africans to take greater responsibility for the development of their communities and countries. He made the call in his keynote address at the 2026 edition of NELEF, held at the University of … The post NELEF 2026: Emerging leaders urged to…
Daniel Asomani, founder and CEO of VODEC Africa and convener of the National Emerging Leaders’ Economic Forum (NELEF), urged young Africans to take greater responsibility for their communities and nations during his keynote address at NELEF 2026 in Accra. Speaking on September 21, 2026, Asomani emphasized that young people should not wait for political appointments or special opportunities before contributing to national development.
He highlighted the need for courage, discipline, competence, integrity, and the willingness to solve problems within their communities with the resources available. Asomani pointed out Africa's potential - its natural resources, young population, growing markets, entrepreneurial talent, and cultural creativity - but cautioned that these opportunities could not translate into development without effective systems.
He noted that Africa's projected economic growth for 2026 was between 4.2 to 4.3 percent, while about 12 million young Africans entered the labor market annually, but only 3 million formal jobs were created. This gap, he said, represented millions of young people struggling to find opportunities. NELEF originated from Asomani's question to university students in 2017 about their plans after graduation.
The large number of students who wanted to leave rather than contribute led to the establishment of VODEC Africa, the NELEF platform, and the VODEC Africa Idea Challenge, which connects young people to capital, mentorship, networks, and markets. The 2026 edition of NELEF expanded its focus to emerging leaders from across Africa, with over 11,000 participants engaging in the forum.
Asomani also criticized the practice of young people paying money for employment opportunities, urging them to reject such practices and calling for stronger systems to address sanitation and healthcare challenges in Ghana. He emphasized that integrity should be a foundation for building strong institutions and urged emerging leaders to protect their integrity.
Written by urgent.news from Ghanaian Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
