{
  "id": 7594518,
  "title": "NDC Youth Organiser race: Odarteifio promises economic opportunities for young people",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/ndc-youth-organiser-race-odarteifio-promises-economic-opportunities",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-15T16:49:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/ndc-youth-organiser-race-odarteifio-promises-economic-opportunities-for-young-people/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Steven Nhyira Odarteifio has declared his candidacy for National Youth Organiser in the National Democratic Congress (NDC), pledging to transform the party's youth wing around economic empowerment and prospects for young Ghanaians. At a press conference in Accra on September 14, 2026, Mr Odarteifio unveiled his campaign, \"Economic Mobilisation,\" emphasizing that young people should not be held back by wealth, political connections, or established networks before their ideas and leadership potential are acknowledged. \"Your future cannot be chained to someone else's definition of readiness,\" he argued, asserting that readiness should be measured by a person's ideas, service, character, impact, and ability to deliver.\n\nThe NDC's youth wing must expand its role beyond mobilizing young individuals for elections, Mr Odarteifio stated, and instead become a platform where they can access economic opportunities throughout the political cycle. He criticized the idea of a youth wing that only focuses on mobilizing young people for elections, advocating for one that mobilizes opportunities between elections. Mr. Odarteifio highlighted government initiatives such as Adwumawura, the National Apprenticeship Programme, and One Million Coders as potential avenues for young people's economic growth. He emphasized that merely having these programs is insufficient; young people must be informed about them, able to access them, and organized around them.\n\nCiting his background in agriculture, enterprise, and youth development, Mr Odarteifio claimed that his previous work on agricultural economic enclaves, equipment deployment, artisan manufacturing support, and agricultural education had benefited over 100,000 young people. This success, he argued, underscores his ability to lead the NDC's youth wing. If elected, he promised to help impact the economic lives of one million more young people before the end of President John Dramani Mahama's term. Mr Odarteifio positioned his campaign as a challenge to the prevailing culture of waiting for political opportunities, drawing inspiration from historical leaders like Yaa Asantewaa, Kwame Nkrumah, and Jerry John Rawlings. He urged party activists, unemployed graduates, and constituency organizers, who often feel they lack the financial means, connections, or political backing to lead, that they have the moment to rise. The candidate asserted that his goal was to complement President Mahama's economic agenda by ensuring broader participation of young people in the economy. By building a strong youth wing capable of delivering on economic opportunities and forging closer links with young Ghanaians, Odarteifio aimed to strengthen the NDC's long-term political future, including his ambition to help the party secure 20 years of consecutive power.",
  "summary": "Steven Nhyira Odarteifio has announced his bid for the National Youth Organiser position of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), promising to reposition the party’s youth wing around economic empowerment and opportunities for young people. Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Monday, September 14, 2026, Mr Odarteifio said his campaign, which he has named […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
        "title": "NDC Youth Organiser aspirant Odarteifio pledges to tackle Northern Ghana’s irrigation crisis",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/ndc-youth-organiser-aspirant-odarteifio-pledges-to-tackle-northern",
        "published": "2026-09-15T11:46:31.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "GBC Ghana",
        "title": "Steven Odarteifio declares bid for NDC Youth Organiser position; Targets 1 million young people",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/steven-odarteifio-declares-bid-for-ndc-youth-organiser-position",
        "published": "2026-09-15T12:23:46.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Ghanaian Times",
        "title": "Steven Nhyira Odarteifio declares bid for NDC National Youth Organiser position",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/15/steven-nhyira-odarteifio-declares-bid-for-ndc-national-youth",
        "published": "2026-09-15T13:43:33.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}