SYPALA 2015 REPORT

IMANI Center for Policy & Education

SYPALA at a glance
The Students and Young Professionals African Liberty Academy (SYPALA) forms part of
IMANIs core vision of training a visionary of crop of leaders who will carry the torch of
liberty and blaze the trail of Africas prosperity.
Annually, SYPALA organises seminars that cater to almost half of the African continent
with the strategic aim of equipping young professionals and students with the right tools
to effect the needed change in their respective communities.

Specific Objectives of SYPALA 2015

-

Educate participants on the Dynamics of Policy conception,

Formulation, Implementation and Evaluation.

Enhance participants Knowledge on Africas unique political

environment for better socio-cultural understanding and impact

Summary of SYPALA 2015

From 25th to 29th August 2015, Youths with diverse backgrounds from different parts of
Africa converged in Accra, Ghana for the 9th edition of the annual Students and Young
Professionals African Liberty Academy (SYPALA) seminar. Under the theme Africa is
rising, where is the evidence, this years edition of SYPALA was designed to give
participants practical perspectives to policy conception, formulation, implementation
and evaluation. SYPALA 2015 attracted participation from over five countries (Ghana,
Nigeria, Malawi, Togo, South Africa) with about fifty (50) representations.
The lectures delivered are as follows:
Africa is rising - Who are the key drivers and what can the laggards learn? What role
for the African Entrepreneur? (Nkunimdini Asante-Antwi ),
How to get a sleepy government bureaucracy walking again - The case of OccupyGhana
and the Ghana Audit service - (Lawyer Ace Ankomah),
Can Governments ever be trusted to provide efficient public goods? (Sydney CaselyHayford),
Do countries really need long-term development plans in a dynamic political and
competitive marketplace of ideas? (Kofi Bentil),
Dealing with one of Africas biggest enemy - corruption (Japheth Omojuwa),

What aspects of regional trade integration is feasible for Africa today? (Patrick
Kwabena Stephenson),
Can Obamas Power Africa keep the lights on in Africa? What role should African
governments play in the energy sector? (Kofi Boahen),
Reflections on entrepreneurship: Youth employment in Africa - (Fatim Badjie),
What does it mean for a country to seek a bail out from the IMF? (Dr. Godfred Bokpin)
How did Africa fare with the MDGs? Should we bother with the SDGs? When are we
going to have our own blueprint for development?(Yaw Adu Gyamfi),
How can we build a prosperous Africa? What Foundations of public Policy do Africans
really need? (Franklin Cudjoe),
Why are African Youth Loosing Hope in African Leadership The case of CDDs
Afrobarometer? -Dr. Franklin Oduro
Africa Rising from a business man perspective (Yofi Grant)

Activities
Among the activities carried out during SYPALA 2015 are lectures, panel discussions,
brainstorming exercises/workshops, action plans and presentation of certificates. A
summary of each activity is provided below.

- Lectures
The lectures were intended to enhance participants knowledge on Africas unique
political environment for better understanding of Africas Problems. In all, twelve (12)
lectures were delivered. Speakers came from The Gambia, Ghana and Nigeria. Below is a
summary
of
all
lectures.
The first lecture, on the topic, Africa is rising - Who are the key drivers and what can
the laggards learn? What role for the African Entrepreneur? delivered by Mr.
Nkunimdini Asante-Antwi took a critical look at the entire Africa Rising Narrative from
an economic perspective. Mr. Nkunimdini revealed that even though Africa has made
progress in some areas, it was not enough to propel the needed growth that will advance
the cause of development on the continent. He advocated for more investment in critical
sectors such as education, infrastructure and health. Without sufficient investment in
these sectors, the Africa Rising story will be to the advantage of only some selected few.
Mr. Nkunimdini also hinted that if Africa is to make some appreciable progress on the
economic front, the economies of the sub-region ought to be integrated whilst taking steps
to fight corruption and other barriers to trade such as culture, language and government

bureaucracy. In his presentation, Mr. Nkunimdini Asante-Antwi, founder and director of

Metis Decisions Limited, a professional services company did not omit to challenge
financial institutions, notably, Banks and Microfinances to bring to bear innovative
products that will help to lift out of poverty the disadvantaged ones in the society. As he
put it, Banks have to receive more from its citizens, in the form of savings, in order to
be able to fund businesses.

Speaking on the topic, Can Governments ever be trusted to provide efficient public
goods?, Mr. Sydney Casely Hayford, a Chartered Accountant and Financial Consultant,
delivered the second presentation for SYPALA 2015. Mr. Sydney took participants
through different dynamics of government participation in the delivery of some public
goods. He explained that government will be needed in the provision of some public goods
if only markets technically fail to do so. For instance, he implied that it is governments
job to provide security, defense and justice. Using the University of Ghana, as a focal
point for his presentation, Mr. Sydney Casely Hayford said the quality of services could
not be guaranteed if government is the sole player. As he put it, governments dont
provide long-term solutions, they are often short-sighted. He advised that governments
partner the private sector for efficient public goods delivery.
Do countries really need long-term development plans in a dynamic political and
competitive marketplace of ideas?, this was the topic for the third lecture for SYPALA
2015. Delivered by Mr. Kofi Bentil, the thought-provoking lecture meticulously explored
feasible avenues though which countries can plan their development in a much more
effective way. Mr. Bentil advised that it will be unwise for countries to have long-term
development plans in a very dynamic and competitive world where it is a mystery to
predict the next invention. In equating Long-term development plans to dreams, he
recommended that countries identify priority areas and work towards their realisation
based on a model he referred to as WHEET: Water, Health, Education, Energy and
Transport. As Eisenhower put it Plans are useless, but planning is everything.; Yes,
lets dream! But what governments need to do is THE BASICS AND GET OUT OF THE
WAY OF PEOPLE.
This topic came at the appropriate time, a time when the host country of SYPALA 2015,
Ghana, is taking steps to develop a 40-year National Development Plan. He challenged
the enterprise and said: Something may look good but we should not be swept away by
the populism of the idea. We should unpack the proposition and analyse it, then we will
determine whether the populist appeal has substance. In concluding his presentation
Mr. Bentil, who is also a lawyer, argued that Ghana will be better off if she focuses on
developing the obvious and simple things that make way for people to lift themselves out
of poverty.

On 27th August, 2015, second day of SYPALA 2015, four lectures were delivered. The first
held on the topic Dealing with one of Africas biggest enemy corruption delivered by
Africanliberty.orgs editor Mr. Japhet Omojuwah explored the underlying factors of
corruption in Africa with a particular focus on Nigeria. Mr. Omojuwah implied that the
reason why corruption is rampant on the continent is due to the fact the practice is
rewarded: The reason why corruption is common is because there are no disincentives
to not be corrupt. There are no disincentives to not be corrupt. It is rewarding to be
corrupt- you get chieftaincy titles, honours etc. According to him, the laws in Africa are
designed in way that encourages corrupt practices: The law says that if you must stealsteal big! You must have enough for everybody: the judges, journalists, etc. Dont steal
for yourself alone.
In attempting to find a solution to this canker, which costs Africa an estimated $148
billion a year, the governance structure ought to be strengthened. He also challenged
participants to play their part in fighting corruption by holding their governments
accountable and denouncing any corruption practices.
Mr. Ace Ankomah, then came to share his views on How to get a sleepy government
bureaucracy walking again The case of Occupy Ghana and the Ghana Audit Service,
the second lecture for the day.
Mr. Ankomah was of the view that the system was meant to make one fail in their desire
to be an upright citizen with many temptations to corrupt the law. He gave many examples
of peoples experiences with the police, how voters could be manipulated to vote for a
party they otherwise wouldnt be aligned with just because theyve been paid a little
amount of money.
Overall, he noted that corruption causes economic hindrance but noted that in Africa its
a food before ethics world.
His 3 Ps for dealing with the menace of corruption are:
People (Good and courage)
Processes (Strong and Solid)
Punishment (To serve as a deterrent to others)

His final words were that, When others sit, stand. When they stand, be outstanding and
when they stand out, be the standard

The third lecture for this day was on regional integration. Speaking on the topic What
aspects of regional trade integration is feasible for Africa today?, Mr. Patrick Kwabena
Stephenson, a policy analyst, discussed the many feasible aspects of regional integration.
Limiting his presentation on trade integration in Africa, Mr. Stephenson took participants
through the various protocols set aside by the various regional economic blocks. He
emphasized the need for governments to implement mechanisms that make the
movement of goods, services and people in Africa devoid of stress, bureaucracy and
harassments. A significant proportion of trade in Africa involves people travelling from
one country to the other. Allowing people to freely cross borders will go a long way to
reduce poverty, according to Mr. Stephenson. Aside reducing poverty, Mr. Stephenson
suggested that regional integration is a useful tool for minimalizing the cost of doing
business on the continent. Instead of focusing on political integration, the regional
economic blocks will be better off if they focus on trade integration, which is a catalytic
tool in bringing people together. He ended his presentation by echoing Claude Frdric
Bastiats words: If goods dont cross borders, soldiers will.
As stated earlier, SYPALA 2015, just like the previous editions, offered a platform for
lectures and participants to discuss and proffer solutions to Africas challenges. Energy
did go uncharted.
The fourth lecture, focusing on the role of government in the power sector was delivered
by Mr. Kofi Boahen on the topic Can Obamas Power Africa keep the lights on in
Africa? What role should African governments play in the energy sector?. Mr. Kofi
Boahen discussed the possible means by which African governments can contribute to
development of the power sector. He stressed the fact that President Obamas Power
Africa initiative was not the solution to Africas power crisis. He explained that the
purpose of the initiative was to help create an enabling environment that attracts more
private sector investments in the power sector. Mr. Boahen cautioned governments to
adopt best practices in order to attract more investments. He hinted that in many parts
of Africa, government is the sole player, a practice that does not encourage best practices
in the production, transmission and distribution of power. He advised that governments
allow some level of private sector participation in order to guarantee regular supply to
consumers, as this will go a long way to benefit African economies.
Youth unemployment in Africa has become more than a challenge it is now a tragedy
as many young people are left hopeless without any employment prospects. Ms. Fatim
Badjie, speaking on the topic Reflections on entrepreneurship: Youth employment in
Africa, took participants through the prospects of employment in Africa, particularly
youth employment. She explained that many African economies, as it does appear today,
do not have the capacities to absorb the plethora of graduates coming out of universities

annually. Ms Fatim, who is a former minister of health in The Gambia, indicated that the
underlying factors of unemployment on the continent are varied and diverse in form and
in nature. Recounting her personal experience, Ms. Fatim, who is Director of ACE
Communication Executive, advised young people to create opportunities for themselves.
She admitted that there are potentials and opportunities that exist; but Young people fail
to take advantage of these opportunities for the lack of skills, knowledge, or for fear of
failing.
In concluding her presentation, being the fourth lecture for the day, she encouraged the
participants to create their own opportunities and not wait for governments to offer them
non-existing jobs.
SYPALA continued the following day, 28th August, 2015 with a relatable momentum.
The first lecture for this day was on the Management of African economies and was held
on the topic What does it mean for a country to seek a bail out from the IMF?. After
taking participants through the forces behind the creation of such international
institutions as The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Dr. Bokpin
explained to participants the history, the role, the objectives and the functions of the IMF.
He further went ahead to explain to participants the structures under which the IMF
operates. He explains that going to the IMF for assistance or any form of support has
become an act of courage by governments; going to the IMF limits national sovereignty
and imposes economic pain. He told the participants that not all believe in the good
will of the IMF as it is perceived that IMF micromanages the countries it lends support
to in the end. In concluding his lecture Dr. Bokpin point out some criticisms made against
the IMF some of which are as follows: The IMF has created an immoral system of modern
day colonialism that saps the poor, The IMF serves wealthy countries and Wall Street,
The IMF is imposing a fundamentally flawed development model, The IMF is a secretive
institution with no accountability, IMF policies promote corporate welfare, The IMF's
policies hurt women the most and IMF Policies hurt the environment.
How did Africa fare with the MDGs? Should we bother with the SDGs? When are we
going to have our own blueprint for development? was next on the list of lectures
delivered. Speaking on the topic, Mr. Yaw Adu Gyamfi, a social entrepreneur took
participants through the background of the MDGs and the factors that informed their
coming into being. He admitted that even though Africa made some gains, challenges
persist. Some of these challenges include: Gender inequality, income inequality, Climate
change and environmental degradation, conflicts among others. According to Mr. Yaw
Adu Gyamfi the successes of the MDG agenda prove that global action works. It is the
only path to ensure that the new development agenda leaves no one behind. But for the
Sustainable development goals (SDGs) to work, there has to be a paradigm shift that
should take into account the localization of the SDGs and collaboration between
government, academia, civil society and private sector.
Mr. Franklin Cudjoes lecture was the third for the day. The lecture was held on the topic
How can we build a prosperous Africa? What Foundations of public Policy do Africans

really need?. In his introduction, Mr. Cudjoe gave an overview of how African societies
were organised during pre-colonial, colonial and independent Africa. He explained that
the absence of basic democratic values, strong institutions of prosperity, strong judicial
systems could be said to be the failure of policies in Africa. Given the importance of
policies in planning development, the founder of Africas second most influential policy
think tank, IMANI, advised policymakers to conduct wide consultation before taking any
policy decision. Mr. Cudjoe indicated that there is nothing wrong in learning from other
countries and thusly admonishes policymaker to copy the habits of the highly effective
countries. At the end of his presentation, he laid the ground for effective policymaking by
sharing what he agrees should be the principles of sound policies. They are as follows:

Free people are not equal, and equal people are not free.

What belongs to you, you tend to take care of; what belongs to no one or everyone
tends to fall into disrepair.

Sound policy requires that we consider long-run effects and all people, not simply
short-run effects and a few people.

If you encourage something, you get more of it; if you discourage something, you
get less of it.

Nobody spends somebody else's money as carefully as he spends his own.

Government has nothing to give anybody except what it first takes from somebody,
and a government that's big enough to give you everything you want is big enough
to take away everything you've got.

Liberty makes all the difference in the world.

Exploring the topic Why are African Youth Loosing Hope in African Leadership The
case of CDDs Afrobarometer?, Dr. Franklin Oduro of the Ghana Center for Democratic
Development (CDD-Ghana) gave an overview of the Afrobarometer. He stated that the
goal of the Afrobarometer is to give the public a voice in policymaking by providing highquality public opinion data to policymakers, policy advocates, civil society organizations,
academics, news media, donors and investors, and ordinary Africans.
He indicated that Data drawn from Five rounds of surveys (Circa 1999 Circa 2012) in
over 30 countries, and using a youth age range of 18-29, present a mix picture of African
youth in public affairs: On the positive side, Fifty-six percent (56%) of African youth said
they were somewhat or very interested in public affairs. On the other side, he notes
that while African Youth are interested in public Affairs, they are less enthusiastic to
engage political leaders and participate in community meetings and association work. He
concluded by giving the following reasons as contained in the results of the
Afrobarometer survey:

President Disregard for the Rule of Law;

Bad Economic and Living Condition;

Perceived Official Corruption;

Bad Governance, Poor Economic Management;

Inefficient Social Service Delivery;

Officials go unpunished;

Leaders serve their own political ambitions;

To climax the series of lectures, Mr. Yofi Grant, a business man, delivered a thoughtprovoking lecture on the Africa Rising Narrative from a business angle. Speaking on the
topic Africa Rising...but from where and from what?, he challenged every aspect of the
narrative. He maintained that Africa is lagging in infrastructural development,
educational performance, and the delivery of health care. The current state of Africa
should not be compared to her past but on the developments on the global stage. For him
Africa is rising whilst others are flying. Africa needs an estimated US$75 billion a year
to fix its infrastructure problems, US$38 billion for physical infrastructure and US$37
billion in operations and maintenance. This approximately equates to 12% of Africas
GDP. There is a funding gap of US$35 billion a year. He recommended that government
should not depend on foreign financial assistance but rather focus on developing local
potentials.

- Panel discussions
Two panel discussions were organised during SYPALA 2015: SYPALA Alumni Panel and
SYPALA Participants Panel.
SYPALA Alumni Panel: The objective was to give the Participants of the 9 th edition a
human face to SYPALA. Discussants were picked from the 5th, 6th and 7th editions. They
shared their experiences and recounted how the pool of knowledge they acquired from
SYPALA contributed to their personal development. The panelists were Theo
Acheampong, Affi Agbenyo and Sasha Alamnyaki Nuer. Ms. Affi admitted that she came
to SYPALA 2008 with a certain mindset and left with a different one: I used to think
government was the all-knowing, she revealed. But after SYPALA 2008, my thought
process was challenged, she continued. Mr. Theo Acheampong who is now an energy
economist told the participants if not for SYPLA 2008, my enlightenment would have
come very late. He said he was and continues to be a proud product of SYPALA and
vows to assist IMANI Center for Policy and Education on any research project. In his
submission, Mr. Sasha said to participants: the difference was not to attend SYPALA;

but to apply the SYPALA knowledge. He told the SYPALA 2015 participants that the
uniqueness of the SYPALA model makes it unbeatable. He concluded by imploring
participants to make use of the pool of knowledge SYPALA offers.

SYPALA Participants Panel: In the spirit of plurality and freedom of thought,

SYPALA participants were given the platform to express their views. Centered on the
theme Africa is Rising, Where is the evidence? the participants looked at issues relating
to Entrepreneurship, Democracy, Good governance, corruption among others. They
challenged many developments on the continent and suggested ways of securing a
brighter future for Africa. Unanimously, all the discussants held the view that it is time
for young people to be at the forefront of Africas transformation. Nana Adjoa, one of the
panelists implored governments to invest in agribusiness, in order to attract more
youngsters into the sector. Prince Akpa, another panelist called for more investment in
technology infrastructure.

- Brainstorming Exercises / Workshops

To give a practical face to the lectures, special workshops were organized. Participants
were taking through the dynamics of policy conception, formulation, implementation and
evaluation. Another special workshop was organized to equip potential politicians with
the nuts and buts of the Political industry in Africa. The objective was to arm the potential
politicians with the needed skills that will enable them to transform the face of politics in
Africa.

Action Plans
Each Participant was asked to draw an action plan that identifies a problem (in their
community or country), a solution (to the problem) and a roadmap (to put the solution
into action). Participants came out various action plans were by facilitators on how best
to succeed in the endeavors.

Media coverage
Sypala 2015 received massive followership on social media. All the lectures were live
tweeted using the hashtag #SYPALA2015/ #SYPALA15 making it possible for the general
public who couldnt make it to the venue an opportunity to be part of it. We had 64.700
impressions for about 829 tweets and 857 retweets over the event. Questions tweeted at
the @imanigh handle were addressed by lecturers ensuring inclusiveness.

Presentation of Certificates
The efforts of the participants was recognized. Each participant was awarded a certificate
of completion.

Testimonies
SYPALA 2015 was motivating, thought provoking and intellectually stimulating. Many of
the participants shared their awesome experiences of how the lectures, debates and
discussions have imparted their preconceived mindset on development. Many vowed to
play active role in promoting economic freedom and the libertarian ideas in their
community.

"SYPALA 2015 was a dynamic platform for me to unpack my mind and sharpen my
perspectives...The sessions revealed rare aspects of policy making across the African
continent which I had never thought of exploring. At the Academy, I found a rare
humility to see Africa for what we really are and I garnered unwavering strength to
tackle the REAL issues head-on! Going forward, my advocacy would take a focused and
proactive turn - Thanks to SYPALA 2015." - Ms Olaoluwa Abagun (Law Graduate
& Girls Rights Advocate, Nigeria

SYPALA 2015 taught me to "Challenge the thought of my thought". Indeed I have learnt
that, poverty is the deprivation or the lack of opportunity. Thus the only way to deal
with poverty is take chance when the opportunity comes or create one when there is
none.
Shardrack Bentil, 2015 SYPALA Participant

"SYPALA is one of the best things that can ever happen to any young person in this
era!
Sessions were intensive, insightful, inspiring, educative and impacting! the 2015
theme was very relevant too!SYPALA 2015 has groomed me to think differently and
critically about policy, talk differently and be interested in public policy. I'm
equipped to transform my circles with very little or no resource.I would like thank
the organizers for a great job done!" Cecil Dadzie, SYPALA 2015 Fellow

SYPALA 2015 for me is an answer to my "Why?" And now my manual for the "How?"
on the challenges of Africa.
Adagboyi damian, 2015 SYPALA Fellow

Conclusion
The quality of SYPALA could not be reproached in any way. The seminar was motivating,
thought provoking and intellectually stimulating. In all, with over fifty (50)
representations from over 5 countries, the 9th edition of SYPALA has recoded enormous
success. Participants were transformed in diverse ways and the status quo was challenged.
IMANI Center for Policy and Education appreciates the efforts its financial partner, Atlas
Network for supporting this novelty which has come to be a tradition in in Africa.