Ghana Youth Manifesto (GYM) for the 2024 General Election has been launched at the University of Ghana – Legon in Accra.
The Ghana Youth Manifesto is to amplify the voices of the Ghanaian Youth as active and influential stakeholders in the civic, democratic and socio-economic spaces in Ghana.
It also seeks to make Ghana where the youth can realize their full potential to transform the communities and create sustainable development of the nation.
The event held on Thursday 21st December 2023 at the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement at the University of Ghana brought together youth groups across the country, Civil Society Organization (CSOs) as well as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority, Pius Enam Hadzide.
The working group has kicked start media engagements to sensitize the larger Ghanaian youth on the need to make their voices heard.
The keynote address delivered by the General Manager of Citi FM/FM, Bernard Avle disclosed that since his 20-years of practicing as a journalist the Ghana Youth Manifesto is the first youth effort he has seen.
“We have to promise ourselves that we are going to get involved in local politics, not necessarily to be voted for but to understand the process. You cannot influence something that you don’t understand.
“So the idea that social media is just for football and new dresses, we must use it to inform ourselves. If we are going to see the future we must understand what happens in our society,” he added.
The ambassador for the Ghana Youth Manifesto who is the Winner of 2022 Ghana’s Most Beautiful, Queen Tung-Teiya Dahamani launched the manifesto.
She mentioned a number of areas the youth manifesto must push such as scrapping the tax on sanitary pads among others.
“So a lot of the youth are saying that the government must channel most of the funds for the construction of the National Cathedral to building youth resource centers and other development priorities.
“We also call for the abolishment of the E-levy tax which is further impoverishing young people. Young people are really crying about E-levy, the fact that you have to pay a levy on the small coins that you have,” she stated.
In a presentation delivered by the Senior Programs Manager for FOSDA, Solomon Okai on the ‘Ghana Youth Manifesto 2024 and beyond: The journey So Far’, he highlighted the challenges and expectations of the Ghanaian youth.
“We’ve gone through the District Assembly Election and it is obvious that young people are expressing interest in the Local Governance Election. So it is not by surprise that the Youth Manifesto also says that governance and decision making process are the priority of young people.
“The Youth Manifesto is not a product but a process and we have the product which we are going to use in engaging the political parties. One of the reasons we are doing the youth manifesto is to get youth issues incorporated into the manifesto of major political parties, NDC, NPP, CPP, PPP the movement for change among others,” Mr. Okai stated.
The Executive Director for FOSDA, Mrs. Theodora W. Anti also delivered a message on behalf of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in support of the Youth Manifesto.
Her message was on behalf of OXFAM, Africa Education Watch (EduWatch), UNDP among others.
The Ghana Youth Manifesto (GYM) Core Group Representative from some selected regions also made the Manifesto Policy Declaration and Call to Action.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM
