Kathleen Addy
(National Chairperson for NCCE)

The Daffiama Bussie Issa District Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in the Upper West Regional has admonished young people to be worthy ambassadors for peaceful electoral outcomes. These remarks were made during a day-long stakeholder engagement workshop for young people in various fields in the Kojokpere enclave in the DBI District.

The District Director of the National Commission for Civic Education Mr. Abdul Rahaman Osman continues to admonish young people to remain focused and tolerant of divergent views. He particularly cautioned young people not to allow themselves to be radicalized and exploited for electoral gains. He underscored the purpose of the young people’s engagement under the EU Preventing Violence and Countering Extremism in Northern Ghana.

He emphasized the significance of the project given the increasing threats of extremism in the Sahelian Region.
The Upper West Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) Mr Victor urged young people to be interested in personal security and public peace.

He stressed the need for young people to raise an alarm by involving the Ghana Police Service (GPS) in reporting crimes and suspicious behaviours and movements. He reminded participants of the “See something; say something” campaign launched by the Ghana Police Service as an innovative crime reporting and prevention mechanism.

Mr. Victor equally expressed concerns about the Jihadist activities in Northern Nigeria, Mali, Chad, and Burkina Faso and a wake-up call for Ghana to maintain political resilience and tolerance. He acknowledges the contribution of young people to nation-building and urges them to remain steadfast and not fall prey to electoral violence.
The resource person for the youth engagement Mr. Tahiru Lukman a senior development consultant and security analyst underscored the need for young people to take the lead in creating a peaceful electoral atmosphere.

He examined Ghana’s political trajectory and urged young people not to be exploited in perpetuating crimes and violence which will derail Ghana’s democratic consolidation effort. He hinted that violent extremism is ravaging the West Africa sub-region and Ghana is among the few countries in the continent that is building resilience towards democratic consolidation and for that matter a collective sense of responsibility will help the country (Ghana) to urge once again as a beacon of African democracy.

Mr. Tahiru Lukman, the Chief Executive Officer of Ideapath Consult had this to say “Young people must build capacity in the field of education and vocational skills acquisition; young people must be interested in adding value to yourselves; education and skill acquisition are drivers to fight poverty and not love for political parties; politics is a contest of ideas and for that matter, we need to tolerate divergent views and see each other as one people; political, ethnic and religious co-existence can be essentially achieved through mutual respect and tolerance”
Inspector Apuuse Francis of the Ghana Police Service speaking as a resource person urged young people to have confidence in the police service and to report any crime or issues that require the police’s attention.

He noted that the Ghana Police Service is more than prepared for election 2024 in the Daffiama Bussie Issa District.
After discussions and conducting group work, the participants issued a peace statement as a communique; “following the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections, we, the youth of the Daffiama Bussie Issa District, reiterate our commitment to upholding a peaceful electioneering campaign process; we also reiterate our commitment to serve as ambassadors of peace and work to strengthen our democratic credentials; we the youth will conduct ourselves civilly and peacefully before, during and after the 2024 elections”
The program drew 50 participants from diverse youth groups in the Kojokpere Area Council of the Daffiama Bussie Issa District, including hairdressers and dressmakers, artisans, young graduates, youth in business, the media, and the staff of the Daffiama Bussie Issa District Directorate of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE).

A program supported by the European Union (EU) dubbed Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism (PCVE) Action in the Northern Regions of Ghana.

Filed by
Tahiru Lukman
Author, Development Consult and Research Fellow
Tel: +233 (0) 209154057
Email: lukmantahiru@rocketmail.com