The Vice Chair of the Fondation Botnar Board, Dr. Flavia Bustreo, has expressed her deep admiration of Ghana’s youth, describing them as assertive, hopeful, and capable of driving meaningful change.
She said this after witnessing proceedings of the New Juaben South Youth Parliament in Koforidua, which forms part of the KOFKRO Project.
The project is at the heart of STAR-Ghana Foundation’s “Our City Project,” which is focused on strengthening the capacity of the youth in Koforidua to deepen their involvement in local governance and community development.
It is funded by Fondation Botnar under the Action for Youth Development and seeks to empower young people by providing them with tools and skills to analyze data, gather information, and contribute to decision-making processes.
In an interview with Justice Kodzo Wiado, an Adolescent Journalist, Dr. Bustreo was particularly impressed with the confidence and leadership displayed during the youth parliamentary debate, where participants took on roles such as Speaker, Majority Leader, and Minority Leader, simulating formal legislative proceedings.
“They were articulate, engaged, and unafraid to challenge authorities with sharp questions, “she said. “It was remarkable to see young people embodying democratic dialogue with such maturity.”
However, she noted that critical issues like drug abuse, a key focus of the session, were not deeply explored.
She also highlighted the need for clearer pathways to ensure youth deliberations translate into actionable policy changes.
Beyond the parliamentary session, Dr. Bustreo described as “palpable sense of optimism” among Ghanaian youth.
“There’s a strong belief that this is their moment to shape the future,” she observed, suggesting that political transitions and development opportunities may be fueling this energy.
Secondary cities and youth
Explaining Fondation Botnar’s focus on Ghana, she cited two key reasons namely the founder’s vision and strategic impact.
She said the late Marc Botnar, the founder, mandated the fondation to prioritize children and adolescents’ health, nutrition, and education, adding that while many development partners concentrate on capital cities, Fondation Botnar sees greater potential in secondary cities, where targeted investments can yield high returns.
Ghana was selected after extensive consultations, with programs like the Healthy City for Adolescents project (running until March 2026), testing scalable solutions for youth well-being. While expansion plans depend on evaluations, Dr. Bustreo hinted of Ghana’s continued importance in the fondation’s strategy.
Next Steps
Dr. Bustreo emphasized the need for deeper policy engagement to ensure youth voices directly influence decision-making, structured follow-ups on issues like drug abuse and mental health and broader partnerships to replicate successful models in other regions.
“Ghana’s youth have shown they’re ready to lead,” she said. “Our role is to ensure they have the tools and platforms to turn dialogue into action.”
Foundation Botnar is a Swiss-based organization dedicated to improving youth health and well-being through innovation, digital solutions, and equitable policy frameworks.
