The youth in Zebilla have been admonished to shun acts of violent extremism, and rather endeavour to work hand-in-hand with the local authorities to sustain peace, and advance the interest of the area.
As influential people in the society, the youth have been challenged to amplify their voices on issues affecting the district, especially in times of conflict.
Speaking at the second sitting session of the Youth Parliament in the Bawku West District of the Upper East Region, organised by the Centre for Democratic Development-Ghana on Saturday, the Research Manager and Team Lead for Governance and Social Accountability Practice at the CDD-Ghana, Mr Mohammed Awal, said the youth were always eager to engage in violence because of peer influence.
To this end, he stated, the CDD-Ghana with funding support from the United Nations (UN) Peace building Fund through United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), was implementing a project dubbed: 'Enhancing social cohesion and social contract, through the empowerment of women and youth in three regions of Ghana." According to him, several interventions were undertaken to empower women and the youth to counter violent extremism and radicalisation. "We want to strengthen social accountability, citizen's participation in the governance process, both at the community level and at the district level. "It is also about economic livelihood of citizens, and there is a component under the Fund that also seeks to support livelihood activities for the women and young persons," Mr Awal stated.
