Youth urged to harness freedom, enterprise and policy innovation at Liberty Sphere 2025

The Liberty Sphere Policy Ground Training 2025 concluded in Aburi with a call on Ghanaian youth to embrace freedom, entrepreneurship, and evidence-based policy as tools to shape the nation’s future.

The two-day programme, held at Anagkadzo Campus under the theme “Ignite Liberty – Shaping Ghana’s Future with Policy and Freedom”, brought together nearly 30 participants from Ghana and abroad.

The sessions featured presentations by both local and international thought leaders, including Prof. Enoch Opoku Antwi, Dr Eamonn Butler of the UK-based Adam Smith Institute, policy advocate Ebenezer Yamusah, U.S. author Bruce Koerber, and Nathaniel Dwamena, President of the YAFO Institute.

Dwamena, whose institute spearheaded the training, said the project was designed to empower “young people, students, entrepreneurs, change makers and activists to have a sense of power and opinion about whatever they have and everything that they want to do in our society.”

He stressed that the initiative sought to reduce dependency on government and inspire individual-led solutions. “If you are advocating for something, the solution should not bring in more problems,” he remarked, cautioning against the risks of state overreach.

Participants were drawn from diverse institutions, including the University of Ghana, the University of Cape Coast and even international applicants from Suriname.

They engaged in a competitive policy pitch, where the winning team walked away with GH¢3,000, while second and third place secured GH¢2,000 and GH¢1,000, respectively.

Ebenezer Yamusah, founder of the Institute for New Policy Thinking, challenged participants to see democracy as more than a framework of text. He argued that development requires long-term planning beyond political cycles.

“Unfortunately, in the case of Ghana, our national development plan and our national development planning commission are nowhere structured,” he said, advocating for an independent body to craft sustainable, non-partisan strategies.

International contributors echoed similar themes. Dr Butler highlighted the benefits of free markets and limited government, while Bruce Koerber urged participants to see liberty not only as an economic idea but also as a moral responsibility.

Prof. Antwi emphasized leadership grounded in ethics, stressing that freedom must be linked with accountability.

Organisers expressed hope that the participants would return to their communities with renewed capacity to design policies, raise funds, and launch initiatives that could spark long-term change.