Kezia Sanie Asiedua Esq.: Why Africa’s Future Must Be Co-Authored by Its Youth

At global forums, some voices inspire. Others ignite. At the 2025 St. Gallen Symposium, held under the theme “Africa’s Next Chapter: Powering Progress Through Collaboration,” Ghanaian lawyer and social impact advocate Kezia Sanie Asiedua Esq. delivered a call to action that echoed beyond the walls of the event venue.

For Kezia, this wasn’t just another panel engagement. It was a moment of truth—one where her life’s work as the founder of For The Future Ghana and co-lead at For The Future Nigeria met an international stage, validating the power of youth-led grassroots movements across Africa.

A Conversation Turned Movement: Why Collaboration Is the Key

Sitting alongside dignitaries such as H.E. Minister Miryan Vieira, Deputy Foreign Minister of Cabo Verde; Abdullahi Alim, Founder of the Africa Future Fund; and moderator Thierry Ngosso, Managing Director of the IWE-HSG Africa Center, Kezia emphasized a message that was both urgent and clear:

“Africa’s next chapter must be youth-inclusive and collaboration-driven. Our development story should not be written for us, but with us.”

With the continent’s youth population rising at unprecedented levels, she believes Africa is standing at a pivotal moment: a demographic dividend that, if well-leveraged, could transform the continent’s trajectory.

More Than Words: A Track Record of Impact

Through For The Future Ghana and For The Future Nigeria, Kezia and her team have worked to transition underprivileged children from the margins to meaningful education. From rescuing children from abuse to securing access to classrooms, her work embodies what she described at the symposium as “living the change we speak of.”

But, as she made clear to her international audience: change is not sustainable in isolation.

“Imagine what we could achieve,” she challenged, “if corporate entities, government bodies, and institutions collaborated with grassroots organizations like ours—not out of charity, but out of shared responsibility.”

Moving from Extractive Relationships to Equitable Partnerships

Kezia’s panel contribution struck a chord because it didn’t merely diagnose Africa’s issues; it offered a blueprint.

She called on governments to go beyond surface-level youth policies and actually resource and scale local solutions. She asked companies to evaluate their corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies—not by the gloss of their reports, but by the depth of their impact.

“What is your CSR beyond the paperwork?” she asked.
“Are we really building systems that include marginalized voices? Are we listening to the young leaders who are already solving the problems we theorize about?”

Redefining Africa’s Narrative—With the Media as a Partner

Another of Kezia’s salient points focused on media: its role in shaping how the world sees Africa, and more importantly, how Africa sees itself.

She urged both traditional and digital platforms to move beyond headlines that emphasize crisis, and instead amplify stories of resilience, innovation, and transformation born from African communities.

What Progress Really Looks Like

To Kezia Sanie Asiedua Esq., progress is not measured in conference appearances or declarations. It’s seen in the child who no longer sleeps on the streets. It’s in the classroom built in a forgotten neighborhood. It’s in young leaders—raised from hardship—now advocating for others.

“Africa can’t afford to wait,” she said in closing. “Let’s co-author a chapter that’s bold, inclusive, and rooted in purpose.”

A Final Call to Action

The symposium ended, but Kezia’s message reverberates:
If you are a leader, policymaker, funder, or ally—this is your invitation. 

Join the young Africans who aren’t just dreaming about the future, but building it—brick by brick, child by child, voice by voice.

Because Africa’s next chapter won’t be written in boardrooms alone. It will be co-authored on the ground, by the people who live the story. CHECK HER LINKEDIN POST HERE

Last Updated on May 28, 2025 by samboad