An International development expert, Marrick Gane, says the youth in Ghana do not understand the power and influence they wield in the Ghanaian society.

According to him, the youth have allowed partisan politics to becloud their sense of judgment and creativity hence the underdevelopment the country finds itself.

Speaking at this year’s public lecture for the Centre for Better Society, Advocacy and Research, Mr. Gane charged the youth not to underestimate the power and influence they have in society by thinking independently and acting same to bring the development the country years for.

“I doubt the youth understand the power they hold within society. There is about 40% of our population that lies in the age of 15 -49. They need to be aware of that. I don’t think they know what they have,” he explained.

He expressed worry about how students, especially, those in the tertiary institutions allow themselves to be manipulated by politicians.

“The hold phenomenal power but, it appears to me, they do not have any idea what they can do with such power. It is a worrying because the students that are on campus are hugely influenced by politicians to their detriment,” he noted.

Mr. Gane wants the youth to value the quality of their thinking; be able to apply them as problem solvers and influencers in society and maintain some independence in their thoughts. That’s the only way, he says, the country can make progress.

President of the Institute for Liberty and Policy Innovation, Peter Bismark, called on the youth to help fight corruption that he says, has become pervasive in the country. To him, the resources in the country that are supposed to be used for developmental projects and to seek the welfare of the masses are being lost to corruption. He believes, the earlier something was done about that the better it would be for the country.