The global agenda to draft the youth, who form the core of violence, into peace brigades; has etched its first footprints in the Nhyieso sub-metropolitan area of the Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi.
The Nhyieso Youth club was commissioned by the joint efforts of the United Nations Office of West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS and the West African Network of Young Women Leaders known by their French abbreviation ((ROAJELF).
The 25 member team was drawn from electoral areas under the sub metro to serve as peer educators, detectors of early conflict warning signs and to play an active role in advocacy and interventions in peacebuilding.
Addressing the swearing-in ceremony of the Young Peace Ambassadors, a representative of the West African Network of Young Women Leaders Jacqui Oyimer insisted it was about time countries paid attention to the UNSCR Resolutions 2250 (2015) and 2419 (2018) which demands disarmament and disbanding of violent youth groups and investing into the youth to enhance their capacities towards sustainable development.
She contended: “ROAJELF Ghana strongly believes in the capacity of the Ghanaian Youth to contribute positively to peace processes. We are inspired by our understanding that if the Youth are good enough tools for violence and unrest as always portrayed, then we sure are the best tools to be engaged for Peace and Security.”
Vice President of the National Youth Network and a spearhead for the launch, Florence Agyemang Mensah challenged the youth to immerse themselves in their roles and stay committed to putting to use, the training, knowledge and tools on conflict detection, prevention and resolution in their communities.
The commissioning of the club and swearing-in ceremony was witnessed by assembly members, executives from the Nhyieso Sub Metro, the clergy, and officers from the National Youth Authority (NYA).
ADMINISTRATOR for the Nhyieso Sub Metro Nurudeen Mohammed described the initiative as worthwhile and deserving of support from state actors in development.
“As an assembly, we are not just there to build social infrastructure and provide social amenities, we are also here to ensure that communities in our jurisdiction have Lasting peace, there is cordiality and public safety among the inhabitants or residents of the community. Once you have an NGO coming on board, in partnering the assembly, why must we sit aloof?” he queried.
Commending the efforts of the project implementers, Ashanti Regional Coordinator of the National Youth Authority Mr. Samuel Gariba expressed the need for the youth to be supported with decent jobs to ward them off any temptations to either foment trouble or get sponsored by wealthy influences to cause trouble.
He was however confident, “young persons have always been seen as front liners in violence and whenever the same youth are identified as agents of peace, we are tackling the issue from the roots. .If the very people engaged in troublemaking go to tell their peers that they should embrace peace and join efforts for nation-building, they will listen.
The assembly member for the Santasi Electoral Area Samual Amankwah said the group had come in handy as many youth in his purview are drifting into drug abuse and vices that threaten the peace and stability of Kumasi.
Meanwhile, a co-spearhead of the project Linda Akosua Fremah told Ultimate News all communities would have their own youth-led Community Peace Clubs to further the course of peace-building ahead of the next national election.
She pointed out that rather than a knee-jerk call to firefight conflicts in electioneering years, ROAJELF believed in proactive measures towards maintaining peace.
By: Ivan Heathcote – Fumador