By Christopher Arko
Accra, Dec.23 GNA – The Ghana Youth Manifesto (GYM), a guiding document which represents the aspirations, needs and concerns of young people and outlines a roadmap for achieving a more equitable and inclusive nation, has been launched in Accra.
The event follows a validation meeting in November this year which assessed the views of over three thousand young people who participated in a survey to share their views on key national and youth development issues.
This encompasses a wide range of issues, including education, employment, entrepreneurship, innovation, social justice, environmental sustainability, and political participation.
The event, which was supported by Foundation for Security and Development in Africa (FOSDA) and other youth focused Civil Society Organisation (CSOs) such as Action Aid, Oxfam Ghana, Youth Advocates Ghana among others, was attended by various youth groups in the country.
Speaking at the launch of GYM for the 2024 Elections and Beyond, Ms Tung-Teiya Dahamani, Ghana’s Most Beautiful 2022 winner, and Manifesto Ambassador, articulating the concerns of the youth, stated that the GYM was as a result of engagement of over 3500 young people across the country.
She said the manifesto captured the expectations, hopes and aspirations of young people with a call for action that was expected to change the plight of young people between 2024 and 2028.
Ms Dahamani also said it was a call for inclusivity, recognising the immense potential and talent the youth possessed and urging society to invest in their growth and well-being.
She said the manifesto served as a roadmap, guiding policymakers, stakeholders, and influencers towards impactful actions that would transform the lives of Ghanaian youth.
She said the policy called for meaningful youth empowerment, advocating policies and initiatives that provided equitable opportunities, access to quality education, skills training, and employment prospects.
Ms Dahamani also called for the abolition of taxes on all sanitary products for young people, and government declassifying sanitary goods as luxury products.
“We are aware of the recent development on these issues, we welcome the idea of growing the Ghanaian sanitary industry, however, young people insisted that the government must declassify sanitary product as luxury products and remove all taxes,” she said.
The youth also called on the government to appoint at least two qualified young ministers between the ages of 18 to 35 and that the funding for the National Cathedral be channeled into youth resource centres and other development projects.
Mr Pius Enam Hadzide, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Youth Authority (NYA), highlighted government infrastructural projects ongoing to improve the life of young people.
He called on the youth to fashion out the solution they sought for government to incorporate in its policies and programmes.
He said the NYA intended to use the youth manifesto as one of its working document and would ensure that the issues raised by the young people found expression in the New Patriotic Party’s manifesto for the 2024 election.
Dr Angela Lusigi, United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) resident representative, commended the youth of Ghana for their participation in governance and elections, adding that a more meaningful and full participation of the youth would keep Ghana’s democracy strong.
She said recent population census indicated that young persons age 18 to 35years were at least one-third of Ghana’s population, meaning engaging the youth in all development initiative was key.
“As UNDP we have prioritise youth engagement and empowerment in all of our programming, we have put the youth and women in the centre of our work, including supporting youth in decision making and leadership,” he said.
Dr Lusigi also stated that the UNDP had gone a step further to setup a youth sounding board to influence how it developed, assessed and implemented all programmes.
GNA