Ms Esther Amba Numaba Cobbah, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Stratcomm Africa, has urged the Students Chapter Executives of the Institute of Public Relations, Ghana (IPR-Ghana) to be good leaders with effective communication skills.
She said as future professionals in the communication-driven industry, their ability to lead effectively was directly tied to how well they could express ideas, vision, influence stakeholders, and represent their institutions.
Ms Cobbah was speaking during a training organised by Stratcomm Africa in collaboration with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in Accra.
The training is designed to equip these young leaders with essential leadership and public speaking skills, enabling them to lead not in isolation, but in collaboration with the very people who entrusted them with their mandate.
It is targeted at about 40 student chapter executives, with the number expected to rise to 50 following the inauguration of a new chapter by IPR Ghana.
Each group will undergo a two-day session, scheduled across the month, and the program will conclude with a graduation ceremony.
The CEO added that leading with strong communication skills prepared them for real-world challenges and positioned them as capable ambassadors of both their chapters and the broader profession.
Ms. Cobbah said one of the key areas where they had made significant impact and aimed to continue was in the training and preparation of young people for the workforce.
“Our focus is on equipping them with the skills and knowledge necessary to contribute meaningfully to the continued development of Ghana”
“IPR has inaugurated six student chapters to date, and at Stratcomm Africa, we recognized the importance of equipping these emerging leaders with the skills needed to lead effectively and communicate with impact,” she added.
Ms. Cobbah said many people focused on the role of leadership without recognising that effective leadership was rooted in having followers.
She said the executives must understand that their leadership existed because of the trust and support of those who followed them, such that leadership was not about position, but about serving a team that believed in your ability to work together toward a shared vision.
The CEO said if leaders failed to engage with their followers, they risked leading in isolation, unaware that those they lead were no longer aligned with them.
“This disconnect often leads to a loss of confidence, as leaders become consumed with their own ideas, neglecting the input and needs of those who follow them,” she stressed.
Mr. Gabriel Nii Otu Ankrah, National Treasurer, IPR-Ghana, said the institute held the conviction that leadership was the engine of change, and that image was everything.
He reiterated that to lead effectively, one must be able to clearly articulate their vision, and that this was precisely why their focus on student leaders was critical because leadership development began at that foundational level.
Mr. Ankrah said national change often began on campuses and that many of the leaders including ministers and even presidents emerged from these institutions.
“Universities serve as hubs for leadership development, and it is therefore essential that student leaders are equipped with strong communication skills to excel in public speaking and effectively drive vision wherever they go,” he added.
The National Treasurer said this training was essential because the student executives were poised to take up leadership roles not only within IPR, but also in national governance and other spheres of influence.