Steven Nhyira Odarteifio has declared his intention to contest the National Youth Organiser position of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), promising to build a youth wing focused on economic opportunity, organisation and participation beyond elections.
Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Monday, September 14, 2026, Mr Odarteifio said his decision to enter the race was driven by the need for a different approach to youth leadership within the party.
He said his campaign would be anchored on what he described as “Economic Mobilisation”, which seeks to connect young people to skills, enterprise, agriculture, technology and markets.
“Programmes alone do not change lives. People must know about them. People must be able to reach them. People must be organised around them,” he said.
Mr Odarteifio said the NDC Youth Wing should play a more active role in ensuring that young people can benefit from initiatives such as Adwumawura, the National Apprenticeship Programme and the One Million Coders programme under President John Dramani Mahama.
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“We need youth leadership that knows how to mobilise young people, not only for political power, but for economic freedom,” he said.
He said, if given the opportunity to lead the Youth Wing, he would focus on helping young people gain access to capital, technical skills, enterprise opportunities, agriculture and technology.
Mr Odarteifio also proposed the development of productive agricultural enclaves capable of creating employment for thousands of young people.
The NDC National Youth Organiser hopeful, who has previously worked in agriculture, enterprise and youth development, said his past interventions had created opportunities for more than 100,000 young people.
He cited work involving agricultural equipment, locally made machinery, women processors in northern Ghana and agricultural education as examples of his experience working with young people and communities.
He, however, did not provide a detailed breakdown of the projects, beneficiaries or funding associated with the figure.
Mr Odarteifio also said the NDC Youth Wing must not be reduced to an election mobilisation structure, arguing that it should remain active between elections.
“I do not want a youth wing that only knows how to mobilise young people for elections. I want a youth wing that knows how to mobilise young people between elections,” he said.
He criticised a political culture in which wealth, influence and personal connections can determine whose ideas are heard, insisting that young people should instead be judged by their ideas, service and ability to deliver.
“Your readiness must be judged by your ideas, by your service, by your character, by your impact and by your ability to deliver,” he said.
He said his campaign would seek to represent unemployed graduates, struggling entrepreneurs, grassroots party organisers and young activists who feel excluded from opportunities within the political system.
According to him, young people should not have to buy their way into being heard or depend on personal connections to contribute to the party.
Mr Odarteifio also referenced the legacies of Jerry John Rawlings, John Evans Atta Mills, Yaa Asantewaa and Kwame Nkrumah, saying their examples reflected the importance of ideas, service and national purpose.
He described the NDC as being at a crossroads and challenged the party to decide whether leadership should be determined by ideas and impact or by financial resources.
His declaration now places him in the contest for the NDC National Youth Organiser position, with his campaign seeking to persuade delegates that the party’s youth leadership must go beyond electoral mobilisation and translate political participation into tangible opportunities for young people.
