National Youth Authority inaugurates peace ambassadors at Asuogyaman

15 youth for peace ambassadors drawn from the Asuogyaman Youth Parliament were sworn in during the week at Asuogyaman as part of efforts to propagate peace and the need to eschew violence ahead of the December 7 general elections.

The training of the ambassadors undertaken by seasoned personnel at the premises of the Asuogyaman District Assembly was aimed at propagating the peace message through the ambassadors for a period of one month.

Other youth leaders aside the parliamentarians will also be engaged in propagating the peace message through other platforms available to them.

There are currently thirty-six flashpoints in the Asuogyaman constituency but District Director Of The NYA, Miss Luyusa Akilu Mohammed Zabado said the Authority’s immediate focus was on fifteen “pressing communities” where its youth for peace ambassadors would be placed to embark on special mini durbars to raise awareness on the peace campaign.

“Our youth for peace campaign is targeting the training of youth peace ambassadors and they are going to be deployed back to their communities where they are coming from and engage both parties on peace, the need for us to be peaceful before, during and after the elections and speak about the implications of conflicts,” she said.

Speaking on the topic, “Peace before, during and after the elections and the need for peace,” a representative from the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE), Mr. Francis Martey underscored the need for peace as a major guarantor of Ghana’s socio-economic development.

Mr. Martey who observed that violence cannot guarantee peace and reduces the unemployment situation in the country cited the political turmoil in some West-African States Said Ghana’s relative harmony and stability made it a beacon of peace and the gateway to Africa.

“When you look at our economic environment, looking at our neighbouring countries, there is no peace in those countries and we know that peace brings development [and] that is where Ghana is projected as a gateway to Africa, why, we have peace,” he asserted.

Ghana is heading for its 8th consecutive elections under the fourth republic and Mr. Martey believes the 2020 elections must not derail this achievement.

“The peace that we maintained since 1992 till today, we don’t think that the 2020 elections will just wash away the good things that the fourth republican constitution brings on board now and that’s why we say there is a need for peace to continue.

citing the adage, ‘peace makes small thing grow,’ Mr. Martey entreated Ghanaians to give peace a chance as such a situation would draw in the much-needed investment opportunities for the country and give opportunities for local businesses to thrive.

He also cited conflicts, violence and war as major contributors of unemployment, adding that violence brings great things down rather than building them.

He maintained that the NCCE’s engagement with the youth has been impactful and he was therefore hopeful that the needed results were being chalked.

The NCCE representative maintained that the commission was actively engaging various communities where the need for peace had been paramount in their messages and the caution to them not to take the law into their own hands in times of disagreements.

Another resource person and an assistant budget officer at the Asuogyaman District Assembly, Miss Hectorina Gyantu spoke on the topic, ‘how war affects women and children’ explained to the ambassadors the horrible effects of war and violence on women and children.

Comparing the situation to what pertains at home, Miss Gyantu said though conflicts affect everyone, women and mothers suffer various atrocities including rape during such situations with its resultant diseases and unwanted pregnancies.

“When there is something like that, women suffer a lot. They are raped here and there. The perpetrators are always raping women here and there. At the end of the day, they turn out giving them some sickness, STDs, some even go to the extent of even letting dogs and stuff sleep with women,” she asked, adding that women and mothers always bore the brunt of perpetrators.

“When there is war, there are but always, there are some variables. It is true everybody will be struggling but the thing is even in the home when there is conflict, what do we see, it is mothers. The children are doing this, it is mothers. My question is how many men will take their children along?”

She underscored the need to prioritise peace as one people and demanded a commitment to peace from stakeholders and the general public to safeguard the protection and well-being of women and urged all to commit to peace.

“When there is no election, the bigger picture is mother Ghana and when there is peace in Ghana, we are all one. After elections, Ghana stands as one, you don’t see this colour, you don’t see that colour and that is what we are fighting for.”

She maintained that there are bound to be winners and losers in any election and called on women to engage their husbands and sons who are mostly the perpetrators of violence to choose peace over violence.

“We are fighting for peace, we are fighting for freedom. We are fighting for peace for Ghana and that is our biggest aim,” she added.

The third resource person who spoke on ‘peace and dialogue,’ Bernard Jimah who is a Community Development Officer asked the youth to look within themselves to develop their capacities to know what they want and work towards attaining it and not to be used by political actors for violence.

“If the youth are developed, they are also developed in their thinking, people will not sway them with their negative messages for them to take negative actions, then they can also stand in the gap for the communities to facilitate development, facilitate peace,” he said adding that personal development would shield them from the negative influence of political actors.

He asked the volunteers to serve as mediators and peacemakers in their communities.

Mr. Jimah said he was convinced that the youth were gradually increasing in knowledge and occupation, adding that the narrative was gradually changing from the former times.

One of the ambassadors, Miss Rebecca Min-nibong from Aakosombo noted that she was motivated to join the ambassadors to reach out to and educate the youth who mostly engaged in electoral violence for reasons they are even unaware of to channel their energies into fighting for just causes instead of blatant lawlessness.

“I am going to use all the resources that are available to reach out to people in the communities to ensure that we have a smooth election to ensure that we have a safe election and peace within our communities.”

She has challenged herself to upset any challenges, particularly in mobilizing the youth, to achieve her aim.

Another, Amevor Goni Daniel Setorwu said his motivation to serve as a youth ambassador stemmed from the critical role peace serve in youth development.

“I am motivated to be part of this peace campaign as an ambassador because when we have peace in our society, we are able to develop as a youth and not just a youth because we are the backbone of the community,” he said adding that it uses that freedom to impact on others in the community as it also brings about development in excess.

One challenge he anticipates most is the apparent loyalty of the followers of the political parties, particularly the NPP and NDC but he nevertheless believes that the ambassadors assuming a neutral stand in educating them on doing what is right will ensure the much-needed peace in the community.

To involve all stakeholders in the campaign, the volunteers would visit three traditional councils in the Akwamuman District. These Include the Anum, Akwamu Traditional Council and Boso Traditional Councils where the chiefs would also pledge to peace.

Aside the traditional authorities, the District Chief Executive and youth leaders of the two major political parties (NPP and NDC) would pledge to peace as part of the commitments to peace not to incite any youth to engage in acts of lawlessness.

Signatures of these personalities would be printed on placards to be showcased by the ambassadors during their community engagements to demonstrate the commitment of the aforementioned personalities to peace.