Need to nurture future leaders — Apostle Gyan Obuobi
The General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Samuel Gyau Obuobi, has called on parents, communities and the church to play their roles effectively in nurturing the next generation of leaders.
He said the responsibility of raising future leaders could not be left to a single group but required deliberate investment of time, resources and mentorship from all stakeholders.
“If we are really interested in nurturing the next generation today, we must be intentional about it.
The investment includes all kinds of resources, such as time and money,” he said.
Apostle Obuobi made the call at the launch of the second edition of the National All Leavers Summit at the Odorgonno Senior High School in Accra.
Summit
The National All Leavers Summit, created for graduates of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), provides an opportunity to celebrate their academic completion while addressing the widening gap between intellectual growth and moral development.”
The summit aimed to channel students’ enthusiasm into activities designed to equip them for the next stage of their lives.
Its focus was on empowering the youth, emphasising the importance of strong values, morality and faith alongside academic achievement.
The 2025 edition was scheduled to take place nationwide on Saturday, September 20, at designated centres across all regions.
Schools represented at the launch included Odorgonno Senior High School, Christian Methodist School and St John’s Grammar.
Traits for nurturing
Apostle Obuobi explained that godliness, authenticity and patience were essential qualities for stakeholders dedicated to nurturing the next generation.
“We must demonstrate godly character worth imitating if we were to nurture the next generation well.
Mentors must also be genuine, without hypocrisy, and above all, we must be patient with the young ones even when they make mistakes,” he said.
He added that leaders must mentor with patience, citing Jesus’ patience with Peter and Judas Iscariot, as well as Paul’s relationship with Mark, as examples.
Apostle Obuobi urged the youth to show availability, teachability and hunger for development if they wished to be nurtured well.
He said the youths had roles to play to ensure continuity in leadership and values, adding, “Whatever we do today has an impact on tomorrow’s generation”.
Collective effort
The Chairperson for Schools Ministry Scripture Union Ghana (SU), Rev. Erasmus Laryea, said SU and similar church organisations existed not to compete with churches but as partners in shaping the character of young people.
He said the digital media and peer influence now shape young minds strongly than families and churches, making initiatives such as the Summit an urgent necessity.
“Peer influence is often stronger than parental influence, and this is why we must provide safe spaces and intentional discipleship for the youth,” he added.
He further called for broader collaboration between churches and para-church organisations to strengthen the collective effort of mentoring and preparing the next generation for leadership.
