Ghanaian Assemblyman wins 'World’s Politician of the Year' award

The Assembly member for Mafi Zongo in the Volta region Julius Karl Fieve has won the “One Young World’s Politician of the Year Award” in the Netherlands.

He is one of five young politicians who were awarded at a colourful ceremony in The Hague during the One Young World Summit.

The other four winners are Naisula Lesuuda who is a member of the Kenyan National Assembly; Sayida Ounissi who is the Tunisian Secretary of State for Vocational Training; Jordon Steele-John who is the youngest senator to ever serve in the Australian parliament and only the second parliamentarian to use a wheelchair; and Travis Robinson, who became the youngest MP to serve in The Bahama’s legislative body.

The winners were announced by former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir John Major. The award winners were chosen by an international panel of judges with first-hand experience of politics.

Their decisions were be based upon the work which young elected or public officials have been carrying out in their own countries and communities and the benefit and impact which it has had on young people.

Mr Fieve was awarded for the tangible and material impact he had made on young people in his community. At age 29, Julius is a Local Government Assembly Member who has inspired several development initiatives in his community.

He developed a Women Rising and Empowerment initiative, mentored young Ghanaian leaders, and organized a free Digital Skills Training for youths in communities in Ghana.

Mr. Fieve also organized health reproductive education workshops for over 1,000 girls and, in conjunction with the Bright Generation Community Foundation, distributed 1,000 pairs of shoes to school children who were accustomed to walking barefoot to school.

His interventions have also led to the construction of school blocks, healthcare infrastructure as well as potable water facilities in his community.

One Young World’s Politician of the Year Award is the first global award of its kind and has been created to counter the low level of engagement in politics and disillusionment with political processes which young people are experiencing around the world.

Despite young people increasingly being recognised as playing leading roles in business and civil society, the level of youth engagement in politics worldwide remains disappointingly low.

The purpose of this award is to highlight the work of those young politicians who are using their position to make a difference to the lives of other young people in their countries and to encourage others who are not in politics and may not have considered it as a vocation to do so.

“This is a humble experience. I have no excuse not work with other young leaders in Ghana and across the world to intensify our impacts. The world deserves more from me,” Mr Fieve said after picking up the award.

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Credit: myjoyonline