Programs officer at the Center for Democratic Development Ghana (CDD Ghana), Vera Abena Addo has called for an immediate nationwide education exercise of Ghanaian youth regarding democracy and their civic responsibility as Ghanaian citizens.
She made this call while speaking on an Xspaces session organized by YFM Ghana today, Sunday, September 15, 2024, in commemoration of International Day of Democracy. She explained that there are various sectors in Ghana that have seen immense development on account of continuous advocacy by youth in Ghana. “Lately, we have seen the youth take up the mandate to call for the right thing to be done in society; they have done so on social media and other areas to call for change,” she said.
She noted that the challenges young people face in their bid to make national impact stems from the ignorance of their civic responsibility and how they can be engaged in matters of society.
Politics in question she stated, has been made a medium of selfish gain for most politicians which has been coined as a perception by many young people. This alone serves as a viable premise for civic societies to educate young people on what their civic responsibility is.
Vera Abena Addo indicated that there is a gap that has not been addressed to properly play an active role in nation building as youth in Ghana. “Many young people are in university chapters of political parties but we have not seen education about their civic responsibility. So we have to go out and reshape their minds and enlighten them on what to do.”
This year’s commemoration of International Democracy Day by YFM is themed, ‘Our Voice, Our Future Celebrating Democracy.’ The virtual event as part of commemoration activities features a panel of reputable guests well versed in sustainable democracy and development of good governance.
