Osman Ayariga outlines National Youth Month activities to promote leadership and volunteerism

The National Youth Authority has unveiled an extensive programme of activities for the 2026 National Youth Month Celebration aimed at promoting volunteerism, leadership development, civic engagement and responsible citizenship among young people across the country. Launching the celebration, NYA Chief Executive Officer Osman Abdulai Ayariga announced that the month-long programme would feature community service, youth conferences, parliamentary sittings, intergenerational dialogue, sports and anti-drug campaigns, all aligned with the theme “Rebuilding Values, Inspiring Patriotism: Empowering the Youth in the Digital Age.” Among the flagship activities are the National Voluntary and Community Service Day, Youth Engagements with Christian and Muslim leaders, the National Youth Conference at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the National Youth Parliament Sitting, an Inter-Agency Football Gala, the Inter-Generational Dialogue and the “Red Means Stop” campaign against drug abuse. “These activities are not mere calendar events.

Each has been purposefully designed to build responsible leadership, encourage active citizenship, promote national unity, and prepare our youth to excel in an increasingly digital and competitive world,” Mr Ayariga said. He added that “patriotism is best expressed through service to others,” explaining that the community service day would include clean-up exercises, tree planting, blood donation drives and visits to orphanages and correctional facilities. Mr Ayariga called on young people nationwide to participate actively in the programmes, expressing confidence that the activities would strengthen national consciousness, inspire responsible leadership and deepen social cohesion across the country.