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Mr Archibald Donkoh, the Acting Upper West Regional Director of the National Youth Authority (NYA), has urged the youth to prioritise the development of their communities and the nation as a whole.

He said the youth had the energy, innovative ideas and skills that could be channeled into the national and community development drive, but queried whether they were ready to avail themselves for the task.

Mr Donkoh, said this at a sensitisation forum at Wechiau on the possible influence of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic on teenage pregnancy and child marriage.

It was organised by the Upper West Regional Youth Parliament in partnership with the NYA and Plan International Ghana and attended by selected stakeholders including; traditional authorities and Assembly Members.

“The youth have to avail themselves and volunteer their energies, innovative ideas and skills towards the betterment of their communities and the nation, but are they ready to do that”, he questioned.

Mr Donkoh urged the young people to discipline themselves to enable the decision makers in society and other stakeholders to take them seriously and to involve them in decision making process.
He explained that the NYA had recognized the Youth Parliament initiative as the most effective way to build the capacity of young people and to involve them in the decision making process.

The NYA Director noted that treaties such as the African Youth Charter, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Ghana Youth Policy also called for deliberate efforts to involve the youth in the decision making process.

Mr Kamaldeen Iddrisu, the District Development Coordinator, Upper West Regional Programme Unit of Plan International Ghana noted that they had prioritised children’s rights, especially, equal rights for girls hence their decision to partner the Youth Parliament to carry out the sensitisation activities.

He said through their activities in the Wa West District, they had influenced the formation of watch-dog committees in some communities in the district to help fight child marriage and teenage pregnancy.