Youth neglect, major threat to incident-free polls - Dr. Aryee

A former Chief Executive of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, the Reverend Dr. Ms. Joyce Aryee, has said the neglect and failure of the state to give hope to the African youth was a major threat to the conduct of peaceful elections across the continent.

She noted that poverty and joblessness, had made the young people vulnerable – they could be induced with little money to foment trouble.

She has therefore called for all key actors to work together to adequately engage them - either as voters, candidates or political party agents to reject violence.

She was addressing the students’ week celebration of the College of Technology Education (COLTEK) of the University of Education Winneba (UEW) in Kumasi.

“Ensuring violence-free elections in 2016. The role of COLTEK student” was the theme chosen for the event.

The Rev Dr. Aryee, who is the Executive Director of Salt and Light Ministries, encouraged political parties and civil society organizations to deepen the conversation with the youth to protect the peace.

They should provide the opportunity for them to actively participate in decision-making and contest elective positions.

She again, asked the body constitutionally mandated to conduct elections, not to work closely with youth-led civil society groups but to take hard look at their internal structures and policies to promote youth participation in the management of the electoral process.

The Rev Dr. Aryee counseled the young people not to allow anybody to hide behind them to push the society into turmoil in pursuit of narrow and self-serving political agenda.

They should be smart amid the deception, half-truths and political propaganda.

She reminded the Ghanaian youth to uphold the peace and said this was vital for the growth of the nation’s democracy, good governance and economic development.