The Rural Initiatives for Self-Empowerment–Ghana (RISE-Ghana) and the Center for Democratic Development–Ghana (CDD-Ghana) have urged the youth to actively promote inclusive local governance to enhance accountability, social cohesion, and peace in northern Ghana.
They made the call during the District Democracy and Governance Learning Youth Café Convening, held in Bolgatanga for 40 participants, including youth, women, political party representatives, and Assembly members, drawn from various communities in the Bawku West District.
Similar convenings are scheduled to engage another 40 participants each from the Bongo and Garu Districts in the coming days.
The event, organised by RISE-Ghana in collaboration with CDD-Ghana, formed part of the project dubbed “Enhancing Social Cohesion and Social Contract through the Empowerment of Women and Youth in Northern Ghana,” with funding support from the UN Peacebuilding Fund through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The Youth Café Convening, held under the theme: “Amplifying Youth and Women’s Voices for Inclusive Democratic Local Governance,” is aimed at building the capacity of the stakeholders to demand for inclusive governance and promote social cohesion and accountability while building their resilience against violent extremism.
Alhaji Awal Ahmed Kariama, Executive Director of RISE-Ghana, said the initiative was designed to strengthen collaboration between community actors and local government institutions to improve citizen participation and service delivery.
“This convening is for us to reflect and see how we can strengthen collaboration with our local government systems and community structures. Those of you here have been carefully selected to go back and implement local actions that improve the quality of services we receive,” he stated.
He noted that the initiative was timely, as it sought to build resilience among youth and community members amid at emerging threats of violent extremism and declining public trust in governance.
“People are increasingly dissatisfied with state services, and projects like this are designed to build your capacity and networks so that both citizens and assemblies can understand each other’s roles. The assemblies have their challenges, but citizens must also show interest in monitoring what they deliver and ensuring that development plans and social contracts are strictly adhered to,” he added.
He urged participants to remain active and consistent in their civic engagements adding that “a successful event depends on both our effort and your active participation.”
Mr John Muniru, Assistant Director at the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council, lauded RISE-Ghana, and its partners for their sustained efforts in promoting inclusive governance and citizen participation.
He described the initiative as “timely and strategic,” noting that democracy could only thrive when citizens, particularly youth and women, were informed, involved, and empowered.
He emphasised that while Ghana has made commendable democratic gains, the true strength of democracy lies in active citizen participation at all levels and urged the youth to view governance as a shared responsibility rather than a spectator sport, reminding them that “governance is about inclusiveness, everyone is a stakeholder, and your voice matters.”
GNA
