We often ask: how do we raise intelligent children?
How do we prepare our youth for the future?
How do we build a better Ghana?
We talk about science, technology, and money. But we usually forget the one skill that shapes all others; the ability to write… to think clearly, to communicate powerfully, and to imagine boldly.
In Ghana today, creative writing and the literary arts are undervalued. They are often dismissed as “just hobbies”. They are treated as extracurricular, optional, or a waste of time.
And yet, writing is one of the most powerful tools of the mind.
This is why The Literacy Challenge 2025, led by Channel One TV and Citi FM, is more than a competition.
It is a movement to rebuild Ghana’s thinking capacity, one young writer at a time.
Writing Builds the Brain
Writing is not just for poets and novelists. It is how we train the mind to:
– Organise thoughts
– Analyse problems
– Process emotions
– Make logical connections
– Remember important knowledge
– Express complex ideas with clarity and persuasion
Take, for instance, a young student who writes stories every week. She learns how to structure her thoughts, balance her emotions, and confidently articulate her ideas in class.
That writing habit strengthens her thinking in science and math too; because her brain has learned how to think, and not just what to memorise.
Young people, who write regularly, perform better across all subjects – mathematics, science, social studies, even ICT. Writing sharpens focus, memory, and creative problem-solving.
When a child learns how to write well, he or she learns to think deeply.
And a society that thinks deeply is a society that grows wisely.
Writing is a Profession. And It Pays.
Let’s break the myth: writing is not a dead-end.
Writing is work. Real work. Serious work.
Think about these people, whom we may not see:
– The person who writes the President’s speech
– The creative team behind every TV or radio advert
– The journalist who brings you a story that changes policy
– The scriptwriter behind the shows that you, your children, your whole family, and your friends watch
– The content writer, who is managing a big company’s online presence
– The author whose novel gets adapted into a Netflix series
– The editor of your favourite magazine or website
Behind every successful brand, policy, and idea is someone who knows how to write well. The world runs on words. And someone must write them.
Let us not raise children who can only consume content.
Let us raise children, who can create I and get paid for it!
When a Nation Stops Writing, It Starts Forgetting.
Without writing, a nation loses its memory.
Our oral traditions are rich, but writing helps to preserve them. Writing documents our history, our philosophies, our culture, our pain, and our pride.
If we don’t write our own stories, others will write them for us; and they may write them wrongly.
Think of how many Ghanaian folktales have no authors. How many family histories are lost, because no one wrote them down. How many of our heroines and heroes remain unnamed, because no one took the time to tell their stories in books.
Without writing:
– There is no official record of injustice or progress
– There is no shared vision across generations
– There is no continuity of knowledge or identity
The child who learns how to write today becomes the adult who documents the truth, our truth, and the Ghanaian truth, tomorrow.
A nation that doesn’t write cannot remember itself.
And a nation that forgets itself will struggle to build a future.
The Literacy Challenge 2025: A National Platform for Young Brilliance
The Literacy Challenge 2025 offers a rare, three-level opportunity to every Ghanaian child aged 11–15 years of age.
Level I: Essay Competition
Young students from across Ghana are invited to write an essay; and this is not just about grammar. It’s about thinking, dreaming, and expressing ideas with power. This level builds confidence, imagination, and analytical skill.
The essay topic for 2025 is:
In not less than 600 words, discuss the effects of Climate Change on Agriculture in Ghana.
What challenges do these effects present for individuals, families, communities, and the country as a whole?
Suggest practical solutions that can help mitigate these challenges, for all Ghanaians.
Deadline for Submission – Saturday, 26th July 2025
Level II: Aptitude Test
The Top 50 students from Level I take part in a rigorous general knowledge and logic-based assessment, designed to test how they think, not just what they’ve memorised. It thrives on applied knowledge, and rewards curiosity and intelligence in all forms.
Level III: Live Quiz
The Top 10 finalists go head-to-head in a televised general knowledge quiz. This level showcases composure, presence of mind, and brilliance under pressure. These are, undoubtedly, essential skills for leadership and real-world impact.
Over the years, finalists of The Literacy Challenge 2025 have gone on to win scholarships, become writers & publishers, doctors, business executives, HR leaders, lawyers, artists, engineers, and to pursue higher studies with a renewed sense of purpose.
And their journey began here – with a single piece of writing.
To Parents and Guardians
Your child’s ability to think, speak, and write well is worth more than any “A” on an exam. Support them. Push them. Help them to enter The Literacy Challenge 2025; not just for the prize of GHS 10,000, but for their own future excellence.
Encourage your children to read aloud, to write short stories, to journal their thoughts, and to engage in deep reflection, using writing as a tool.
Writing may not be loud, but it leaves footprints that last a lifetime.
To Teachers and School Heads
This is your chance to show the nation that your school produces not just students, but thinkers. Let your pupils rise. Let your classrooms become seedbeds of confidence and creativity.
Organise in-school writing clubs. Make essay prompts fun and relevant to the students’ interests and experiences. Celebrate every child who tries, and not just the ones, who appear to be the best.
And remember this: As an educational establishment, Literacy is your legacy.
To Policymakers
We cannot talk about “transforming education” if we’re not transforming how our children think.
And you cannot teach thinking, without teaching writing. Prioritise the literary arts – not just grammar drills and dictation, but actual writing, self-expression, and original thought.
A writing child becomes a reading adult. A reading adult becomes a responsible citizen.
Let this call be a spark, for nationwide change.
To Young People Across Ghana
Writing is your superpower. It will open doors.
It will help you to express yourself, when the world tries to silence you.
It will carry your voice across borders, generations, and time.
Take your pen. Write your way to greatness.
Let’s build a Ghana where writing is not sidelined, but celebrated.
A Ghana where a child who writes is seen as a thinker, a leader, and a visionary.
A Ghana where creative writing is not an afterthought, but a national priority.
The Literacy Challenge 2025 is here. Let us use its momentum to teach Ghana to write again… beautifully, boldly, and without apology.
Apiorkor [Seyiram Ashong-Abbey]
Poet/Author, Media Practitioner, Creative Entrepreneur