By Solomon Gumah
Tamale, Jan 27, GNA – A regional consultative meeting aimed at collating input from youth groups in the Northern Region towards the development of a comprehensive National Action Plan (NAP) on Peace and Youth Development has been held in Tamale.
The meeting, organized by the Northern Regional Secretariat of the National Youth Authority (NYA) with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) and other partners, brought together representatives of youth-led organisations and students.
The engagement provided a platform for participants to deliberate on strategies to promote youth inclusion, peacebuilding, and sustainable development.
The National Action Plan on Youth, Peace and Security is expected to outline concrete steps towards the domestication of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 2250 (2015), 2419 (2018) and 2535 (2020) as well as continental and regional frameworks on the Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agenda in Ghana.
Mr Amankona Ampofo, Northern Regional Director of NYA, speaking during the event, said the consultations recognized young people as peace builders rather than threats.
He said the initiative was aimed at strengthening Ghana’s democracy, stability and development by empowering youth leaderships in communities, elections and social cohesion.
Mr. Ampofo added that the engagement sought to protect young people from violence, manipulation, and exploitation while enhancing their participation in national and local governance processes.
Mr William Adongo, Preventing Violent Extremism Project Officer at UNDP Ghana, who presented a solidarity message on behalf of the organization, said the development of the Youth, Peace and Security National Action Plan was a defining step towards inclusive and resilient communities.
He said with less than five years to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; it was important that solutions were rooted in local realities and led by young people.
He said, “Young women and men across Ghana are already mediating community tensions, supporting conflict management, contributing to early-warning systems and mobilizing peers for constructive engagement.”
Mr Adongo said UNDP, through the UN Peacebuilding Fund, was supporting youth-only and multi-stakeholder consultations across the Upper East, Upper West, Northern and Savannah Regions in partnership with the Government of Ghana and the NYA.
He said the consultations would ensure that the perspectives and priorities of young people meaningfully shaped national peace and security priorities.
He said the Youth, Peace and Security National Action Plan would provide a coordinated, prevention-focused framework to address root causes of fragility including youth exclusion, unemployment and limited participation in decision-making.
Participants proposed several action plans including the establishment of a youth-government partnership platform, development of capacity-building programmes for youth leaders, and the creation of a youth-focused funding scheme.
Miss Yahaya Iddi Naamawu Nasara, a student, lauded the engagement describing it as a major step towards inclusive leadership and national development.
She said the platform would empower young people to contribute meaningfully to peacebuilding and governance processes in their communities.
GNA
Edited by Eric K. Amoh/Kenneth Odeng Adade