NYA inaugurates maiden Lower Manya Krobo youth parliament

The National Youth Authority (NYA) has inaugurated a 66 member Lower Manya Krobo Municipal Youth Parliament to offer young men and women the needed platform to engage with duty-bearers in ensuring speedy growth and development of their communities.

The Youth Parliament will serve as a common voice in tackling key development issues and promote accountability and transparency in the implementation of programmes and projects with stakeholders.

It seeks to build a sustainable relationship between youth groups and governance structures in the decision-making process and influence development outcomes.

It looks especially into those issues that affect the development of youth directly such as; falling standards of education, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy and security.

The members who are on a year’s membership with the youth parliament are expected to identify peculiar challenges confronting young people in their respective communities which they would in turn table on the floor for discussion and onward submission through their members of parliament to the appropriate authorities for redress.

The Eastern Regional Youth Director Was Joined by the Acting Municipal Youth Director and the MCE for the area for the launch.

Eastern Regional Director of the National Youth Authority, Mrs. Marian Mansah Minnah said the idea of the youth parliament will inculcate into the youth the culture of democracy and tolerance among the youth.

“It is very evident that intolerance among the youth has been the bone of conflicts especially during election periods. I will urge you all to use this noble platform and refrain from all kinds of conflicts before, during and after the impending elections,” she told the young parliamentarians.

She urged them to use the new platform at their disposal to advocate for peace, adding that their deeds must resemble their new title, “honourable.”

The Regional NYA Director was hopeful that the inception of the youth parliament would inculcate into the youth, self-confidence, self-discipline, a strong positive self-image and goodwill as bridge the good relationship between political leaders and society.

The Acting Municipal Youth Director for Lower Manya Krobo, Miss Luyusa Akilu Mohammed explained that the platform would ensure that the youth contributed meaningfully to economic development.

She said it was imperative that an enabling environment was created and the youth empowered to effectively participate in the decision making process. The youth participation in the governance process, she said, especially at the local level would enable them to have direct and open access to discussions with duty-bearers.

She urged stakeholders to support the youth to enable them properly contribute their quota to the development of the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality.

Miss Luyusa Akilu Mohammed added that the parliament was a tool for empowering the youth in the decision-making process in the Municipality.

She noted that the parliament was a tangible interface between the youth and duty-bearers on matters foundering young persons and the society.

Municipal Chief Exective for Municipal Lower Manya Krobo said the advocacy of the Municipal Youth Parliament can be traced from various youth policies, statutes, and well thought through conventions and standards as a medium to support the development of every country.

Mr. Simon Kweku Tetteh cited the African Youth Charter, the National Youth Authority Act and the National Youth Policy Implementation Plan which is currently under review as some of these conventions.

He identified the youth as the major resource of the nation’s human capital who constitute a significant percentage of Ghana’s population, adding that their involvement in governance would offer them the platform for harnessing the qualitative strength for accelerated national development.

He urged the new parliamentarians to be mindful of the social issues confronting the municipality in areas such as education, sanitation, child abuse and teenage pregnancy by addressing them through meaningful debates.

Assistant Director at the Lower Manya Krobo Municipal Assembly, Mr. Michael Tetteh Kwame urged the new parliamentarians to discharge their duties dispassionately without fear or favour.

He also expressed his appreciation to the various stakeholders in the municipality for their assistance for the youth parliament.

The youth parliament was divided into majority and minority caucuses with three directorates -Speakers, Leaderships and Clerks.

Per this inauguration, the Lower Manya Krobo Youth Parliament now qualifies to be inaugurated into the regional youth parliament.

As part of the activities, the speaker of the youth parliament, Narteh Abraham Agmornor, together with the leadership and members were sworn in to a year’s term as members of the youth parliament.

Miss Akilu Mohammed acknowledged the support of the former energy minister, Boakye Agyarko and other individuals and companies who supported the event.