Youth challenged to be involved in local governance
Mr Theophilus Aidoo-Mensah, the District Chief Executive for Gomoa West, has called on the youth to be interested in the local governance and get involved in activities of their district assemblies
He said this was the only way they could check resources that came the way of the assemblies and how well they were utilized for the benefit of the people.
Mr Aidoo-Mensah made the call at the launch of a video documentary on the role of the youth in the Decentralization Policy Framework and Action Plan at Apam with participants from youth groups in the Gomoa East and Gomoa West Districts of the Central Region.
The event, which formed part of activities to promote active youth participation in Ghana’s decentralization process, was organized by the Youth Bridge Foundation (YBF), a youth focused non-governmental organization (NGO) with sponsorship and support from United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) and the Inter-Ministerial Coordinating Committee in Decentralization (IMCC).
He urged the youth to shun vices that could terminate their dreams and pursue higher learning to position themselves for any leadership opportunities that come their way.
Launching the documentary, Mr Aidoo-Mensah lauded the initiative by YBF in creating awareness for young people to develop interest in Ghana’s local governance system.
He said even though Ghana’s decentralization system was praised as one of the best decentralization models in the continent, recent indicators pointed to low citizen participation and appreciation of the local governance institutions as well as very high voter apathy in local level elections.
Mr Aidoo-Mensah appealed to YBF to sustain and intensify the initiative to change the trends.
He further urged the youth to contest in the District Assembly elections so as to effectively contribute to the development of their communities.
Mr Aidoo-Mensah urged the youth to develop their capacity and form advocacy groups to contribute to issues through debates as well as crafting solutions to numerous challenges facing them.
Mr. Nelson Amo, the Programs Coordinator of YBF, expressed the Foundation’s gratitude to all stakeholders for supporting the initiative.
He added that the video documentary, in addition to informative, educative and communicative materials, would be used as an advocacy tool to further spearhead awareness creation on citizen participation in the decentralization process across the country.
Source: GNA