The African Youth and Adolescents Network on Population and Development (AfriYAN Ghana) has called for greater youth participation in local governance and the integration of young people’s priorities into district development plans and budgets.
The call was made at a stakeholder dialogue organised by LoveAid Foundation under AfriYAN Ghana, in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in the Volta Region.
The dialogue brought together representatives of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), civil society organisations and youth groups to explore practical ways of incorporating young people’s views into local development planning and budgeting.
Participants agreed that youth priorities should be progressively incorporated into the Medium-Term Development Plans and annual budgets of assemblies to ensure that identified needs are properly funded and implemented.
Speaking to the media after the event, Programmes Officer of LoveAid Foundation, Joshua Tettey Ayayi, said the dialogue formed part of the organisation’s Adolescent Girls Project, which seeks to educate and empower adolescent girls to protect themselves against gender-based and sexual violence while strengthening youth participation in governance.
“What we convened here is to ensure that the inputs of young people are incorporated into development plans, budgeted for, and fully implemented.”
Mr Ayayi said meaningful youth participation in decision-making was essential to sustainable community development and ensuring that policies and programmes reflected the actual needs of young people.
Assemblies urged to strengthen youth engagement
The Presiding Member of the Akatsi North District Assembly, Patrick Kwame Ahiabu, also called on district assemblies to strengthen youth engagement through their Public Relations and Complaints Committees (PRCCs).
He said the PRCC, which serves as a communication link between assemblies and their constituents, was not functioning effectively in many districts due to inadequate funding.
“We have realised that the assembly is not adequately involving the youth through the PRCC. The PRCC is the mouthpiece of the district assembly. Unfortunately, this committee is not functioning effectively in most assemblies.”
Mr Ahiabu said assemblies must make adequate budgetary allocations to the committees to enable them to effectively engage communities on government projects and other development initiatives.
“When we prepare our budgets, we need to make adequate allocations to the PRCC so that it can effectively advocate and sensitise communities on government projects,” he added.
He said adequately resourcing the PRCC would improve public education and transparency while creating more opportunities for young people to participate in local governance.
Focus on adolescent girls
The stakeholder dialogue also formed part of efforts to protect the rights and wellbeing of adolescent girls.
Through the Adolescent Girls Project, LoveAid Foundation seeks to educate and empower girls to protect themselves against gender-based and sexual violence while creating platforms for young people to contribute to decisions affecting their communities.
AfriYAN Ghana, the Ghana chapter of the continental African Youth and Adolescents Network on Population and Development, is a youth-led organisation focused on the health, rights and wellbeing of young people.
The organisation works with development partners, including UNFPA, on issues such as meaningful youth participation in governance, sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender equality, leadership development and youth empowerment.
Through advocacy, capacity building and community engagement, AfriYAN Ghana seeks to ensure that young people have a meaningful role in shaping policies and programmes that affect their lives.
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