By Iddi Yire, GNA
Accra, Feb. 21, GNA – The Progressive People’s Party (PPP) has agreed to incorporate the Ghana Youth Manifesto into its policy proposals for the 2024 elections and beyond.
The Party said its 2020 Manifesto, which would be reviewed into the 2024 Manifesto, aligned with some aspirations of young people captured in the Ghana Youth Manifesto and promised to consider some policy proposals in the document.
National Officers of the PPP gave the assurance when the leadership of the Ghana Youth Manifesto Coalition presented the Manifesto to the Party.
Mr Remy Paa Kow Edmundson, National Secretary, PPP, and Mr Felix Mantey, Director of Communications, PPP received the Manifesto on behalf of the Party.
The Ghana Youth Manifesto represents the aspirations, needs, and concerns of young Ghanaians and outlines a roadmap for achieving a more inclusive, equitable, and prosperous nation.
The document, which sampled the aspirants of 3,500 young Ghanaians from across the 16 regions, seeks to strengthen the capacities of youth and youth groups to influence political party manifestos and hold the parties that form government accountable for their programmes and policies.
The demands of the youth, as captured in the Manifesto include; scrapping all forms of taxes on sanitary pads, appointment of at least two qualified young people (aged 18-35) as ministers, abolish the Electronic Levy Tax, and stopping the National Cathedral Project.
Mr Christopher Wisdom Penu, the National Coordinator of the Ghana Youth Manifesto, said the purpose of the Manifesto was to empower young people to vote based on policies and issues in future elections.
He mentioned education, job creation, youth peace and security, good governance, justice, and accountability, as among key issues raised by young people in the Manifesto.
“We appeal to political parties to capture the aspirations of the youth in their manifestos and implement them,” Mr Penu said.
Mr Felix Mantey, Director of Communications, PPP, commended the Manifesto team for the extensive work and encouraged the team to publicise the document for wider coverage and acceptance.
He said the PPP’s 2020 Manifesto captured some of the issues raised in the Youth Manifesto and assured that the Party would consider some other aspirations of young people detailed in the document.
He said the PPP, when given the nod, would amend the 1992 Constitution and scrap the 40-year age limit requirement for a person to contest as president.
He said the Party would also construct what he termed as industrial estates and invest in skills development to create sustainable jobs for young people.
GNA