Youth Groups call for Action on Youth Policy

Youth groups convened at Ghana's Parliament building last Wednesday to petition government for the implementation of a youth policy. Although Ghana has reached several milestones towards democracy since its independence in 1957, a formal national youth policy has never been adopted.

The National Union of Ghana Students, whom I had met before, was one of the organizing groups. The students told me that although previous governments had addressed the concerns of the youth, 17 years into Ghana's fourth republic, there is still no policy, which is necessary because of "the complexity of challenges that affect young people, which demands well coordinated state intervention."

Issues such as criminality and HIV/AIDS amongst youngsters should be addressed in government, and proper policy should follow. Now, there is a 'cycle of review', the young activists explain me.  Successive governments have dragged the subject. They draw a policy, and the next government reviews it. This next government then drafts another policy, which gets reviewed as well without ever being implemented. The past NPP government also drew a youth policy. The youth is worried that the current government will not adopt it. The cycle of reviewing again and again must end. Flyers were distributed amongst the Parliamentarians that walked into their building, stating:    

"We think that as matter of urgency specific actions should be taken to implement the youth policy .The future of this nation depends on the investment we make in youth today!"