By Edward Acquah, GNA
Accra, Aug. 7, GNA – Young political leaders have been urged to uphold integrity, build cross-party cooperation and strengthen Ghana’s democratic institutions through responsible and inclusive leadership.
The call came at the close of the European Union Women and Youth Democratic Engagement (WYDE) Political Parties Project, a six-month leadership initiative aimed at equipping emerging politicians with governance, communication and public leadership skills.
Addressing participants in Accra, Mrs Anna Wasserfall, Country Representative of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Ghana Office, said the programme’s impact would be judged by how participants applied the lessons learned to their communities and political careers.
“It will be measured by the conversations that you are starting in your communities, by the young people that you encourage and by the integrity that you lead with when nobody else is watching,” she said.
Mrs Wasserfall said effective leadership was rooted in responsibility rather than authority, adding that democratic institutions became stronger when leaders consistently demonstrated honesty, resilience and accountability.
She urged participants to use the knowledge, networks and leadership skills acquired during the programme to encourage greater youth participation in governance and contribute to strengthening democratic institutions.
“If we have hundreds of committed young people making good leadership decisions every day, then something can actually change. That is how institutions become stronger, trust is built and democracies become more resilient,” she said.
Mr Jonas Claes, Deputy Head of Delegation and Head of the Political Section at the European
Union Delegation to Ghana, said the European Union would continue to support youth participation as part of its broader partnership with Ghana on democratic governance.
He said investing in young leaders remained central to promoting inclusive political participation and strengthening democratic institutions.
“There are various different engagements that we do… and we will continue to do that for the years to come. Surely there will be continuity in our youth engagement here in Ghana,” he said.
Mr Laurenz Van Ginneken, Project Manager at the European Network of Political Foundations (ENoP), encouraged participants to preserve the relationships established during the programme across political party lines and to prioritise national development over partisan interests.
“Democracy is a clash of ideas, not a clash of people,” he said.
The WYDE Political Parties Project was implemented over six months by the KAS Ghana Office in collaboration with the European Union and ENoP to prepare emerging political leaders for public office through training, mentorship and dialogue on democratic governance, leadership and political communication.
The initiative forms part of the European Union’s Women and Youth Democratic Engagement programme, which supports greater participation of young people and women in democratic processes by strengthening leadership capacity, promoting inclusive political dialogue and encouraging cooperation across political parties.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey
Reporter: Edward Acquah
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