The Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, has called on Ghanaian students and young graduates to look beyond academic certificates and prepare themselves for leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship in a rapidly changing world.Delivering the keynote address at the Beyond the Degree Conference 2026, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin stressed that education must go beyond classroom learning and certificates to equip young people with leadership skills, innovation, and civic responsibility.He noted that youth unemployment remains a major challenge in Ghana, citing data from the Ghana Statistical Service showing that unemployment among young people remains significantly higher than other age groups. According to him, thousands of trained professionals, including nurses and teachers, continue to wait for employment opportunities.The Effutu MP also criticized what he described as broken promises and failed job-creation initiatives, highlighting frustrations surrounding recent recruitment exercises in the security services where more than 500,000 applicants reportedly competed for only about 5,000 available positions.He urged young people not to depend solely on government jobs, stressing that the future of Ghana must be driven by job creators rather than job seekers. According to him, sectors such as entrepreneurship, agriculture, technology, and the creative economy offer opportunities for innovation and economic growth.Using what he described as a “tale of two lessons,” the legislator shared stories illustrating that academic excellence alone does not guarantee leadership success. Instead, he said effective leadership requires competence, resilience, ethical conduct, and the ability to inspire others.Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin also emphasized the role of civic engagement, encouraging young people to use constitutional tools such as petitions and the Right to Information Act to hold institutions accountable and participate actively in governance.He further highlighted the importance of technology and artificial intelligence in shaping the future, urging the youth to equip themselves with digital skills, creativity, and problem-solving abilities to remain competitive in the evolving global economy.Concluding his address, he challenged young Ghanaians to embrace leadership with competence, integrity, and vision, stressing that the responsibility for shaping the country’s future lies largely in the hands of the next generation.