‘Y Dialogues’ return with 'Vote on Issues'

Y Dialogues, one of the flagship and innovative youth empowerment programmes of YFM, Ghana’s number one urban and entertainment youth radio station, is set to stage a massive comeback with a new series focused on a campaign for issue-based voting in the 2016 general elections.

“Vote on Issues” is the theme for the new ‘Y Dialogue’ series with the first edition coming off this Friday, 29th April 2016 at the Impact Hub at Osu.

The Vote on Issues Campaign is a collaboration between YFM Ghana and STAR-Ghana and the first edition of this special series will feature Dr. Kwesi Jonah, a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG).

He is going to educate, expose and inspire the youth to get interested in civic issues like the 2016 elections and all the important but unexplained issues concerning the elections to guide in they voting based on policies and issues.

Akwasi Agyeman, Managing Director at Global Media Alliance Broadcast Company (GMABC), operators of YFM said, "this new Y Dialogue series on the 2016 election is meant to support the Electoral Commission and the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) to educate the general public, especially young people, on the November 7 elections.

As a youth-oriented radio station, we believe it is our duty to adequately prepare the youth who are considered as future leaders of this country to start voting based on policies and issues and not on personalities and other trivial considerations.’’

Mr. Agyeman added that in order to ensure a credible, peaceful, free and fair elections, the youth who are major stakeholders in Ghana’s democratic dispensation must be well engaged in these times in order for them to fully participate in the whole process.

The ‘Y Dialogues’ is a platform for achievers in various fields to share their vast experiences with the youth to inspire them to aim high in their career aspirations and equip them with the right information to succeed.

The first three editions of the dialogue series featured distinguished individuals such as Dzifa Gomashie, Deputy Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Tonyi Senayah, CEO of Horseman Shoes and Nana Kofi Asihene, award-winning video director and many others.

This season’s series will be geared towards the elections in November with both on-air and off-air engagements as well as social media drive with the hashtag #voteonissues.

Dr. Kwesi Jonah is the chairman of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana at Legon. He is an expert in African politics and specializes in political economy and good governance. In 2005-06, he acted as the coordinator of West African Political Parties Programme (WAPPP), a project of the Institute of Economic Affairs located in Accra. He is also a senior fellow at the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG).

The Vote on Issues Campaign is sponsored by STAR-Ghana and supported by Global Media Alliance, e.TV Ghana, Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition.

For more information, the general public is encouraged to tune in to Y107.9 in Accra, Y102.5 in Kumasi and Y97.9 in Takoradi or check out www.yfmghana.com.