Daniel McKorley, the Chairman of the McDan Group of Companies, has advised the youth in the northern part of Ghana to focus on their aspirations and envision their future with patience and determination.
This, according to him, can make them wealthy while residing in the north, and they do not necessarily have to travel to the south to seek wealth and livelihood.
Dr McKorley was speaking at the McDan Youth Connect held at the University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS), Wa, in the Upper West Region, on the theme: “Impacting Youth Development with Entrepreneurship.”
He noted that the youth must have patience and focus on their visions to get the stamina to build a great future.
“Let’s assume that you are 22 years old and in level 400. You buy a thousand teak tree seedlings, of which one is sold for GHC 1 to plant. It takes seven years for a teak tree to mature, and now the tree is going for 600 dollars.
“In seven years, it may be selling for 900 dollars, so if you multiply 900 dollars by a thousand, you will be $900,000 richer in seven years, and by then, you’ll be 29 years old. It’s almost a million dollars richer, sitting here in the north,” he asserted.
According to him, youth entrepreneurs are the future of the country’s greatness, hence the need to impact them for a bright future.
“The reason we are organising this youth connect is to impact youth entrepreneurs. We have students and youths who need to be nurtured, mentored, and empowered. Some have passion but don’t know how to turn their visions into reality.
“It is not about money, but about showing them the way because I grew up on the street. I was raised by an illiterate mother, but she gave me the right attitude, and that keeps me going.”
He urged the youth to have the right attitude towards work and services as those are some virtues that would push them up.
Winners of businesses that pitched during the programme were presented with GHs 10,000 each, while a physically challenged entrepreneur who is into the production of nylon and metal camp beds and chairs was also presented with GHs 50,000 to help boost his business.
GNA