Vice President Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has urged young people across West Africa to recognise the power they wield in shaping the region’s future, particularly in an age where information, anger and falsehood can travel across borders within seconds.
Speaking at the 2026 West Africa Youth Day celebration on September 8, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said technology presented young people with both serious risks and unprecedented opportunities.
“Young people now inhabit spaces where information, anger, prejudice and falsehood can cross borders in seconds,” she said.
But she stressed that the same digital tools could be harnessed to build stronger and more connected communities.
“The same technology can also connect communities, spread knowledge, and create opportunities that previous generations could hardly have imagined,” she stated.
The Vice President challenged participants to see themselves not merely as beneficiaries of the opportunities created by technology, but as active contributors to the kind of society and region West Africa will become.
“Never forget the difference you can make,” she told participants.
She urged young people to be deliberate about what they share online, how they respond to disagreements and their willingness to engage with people outside their immediate social circles.
“The information you choose to share, the way you handle disagreement, and the willingness to work with people beyond your own circles all contribute in different ways to the kind of region we will become,” she said.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang also encouraged participants to carry the lessons and connections from the celebration beyond the event itself.
“I hope that when you go home, you will take with you more than the memory of a very successful gathering,” she said.
Her message placed young people at the centre of West Africa’s digital and social future, with a call for responsible citizenship, constructive dialogue and cross-border collaboration in an increasingly connected region.
