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Strengthening Youth Participation In Local Governance To Promote Grassroot Development

Feature Article Strengthening Youth Participation In Local Governance To Promote Grassroot Development
FEB 16, 2015 LISTEN

The main motive behind our decentralization system is to ensure that citizens play crucial role in how government decisions get made and successfully implemented. This is because the democratic process is not complete without citizen participation.

In fact, democracy doesn't work without meaningful participation of all segments of the population. It is our duty as citizens to ensure that the government works as we want it to, and assume the responsibility of taking action when it doesn't.

The insistence on public participation in government decision making has sparked a revolution in recent times in some countries in Africa. The decentralized system was instituted to promote greater grass root participation in the planning and the implementation of policies at the Assemblies. It is believed that government performs most effectively and efficiently when citizens participate meaningfully in its policy formulations and implementation. It is important that the vulnerable in society such as women, children and the Youth are all given the opportunity to participate in the governance of the country.

However, all indicators point out to the fact that there is low participation of citizens at the local level. No wonder there is always high voter apathy during local level elections.

According to a survey conducted by the United Nation (UN) in August 2012, a majority of 13,000 respondents expressing their voices from 186 countries highlighted that the main challenges for youth were limited opportunities for effective participation in decision-making processes.

Whilst every citizen is encouraged to participate meaningfully in the developmental discourse of the country, it is also important that the duty bearers make conscious effort to enable the vulnerable in society such as women, children and the Youth to offer their optimum best to push the developmental agenda of the country forward. There cannot be any meaningful developmental programme without taking into account the opinions of the people for whom the programme is targeted. The Youth who form more than half of our country's population are marginalized in terms of participation in the local level governance in this country. Young People are not actively involved in the formulation and implementation of critical decisions that affect them.

SOME ATTEMPTS TO GET THE YOUTH INVOLVE IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE

Even though the current local Government Act provides room for greater participation at the local level, its implementation has become a mirage. Over the last decade many organizations have initiated moves to enhance Youth inclusion in decision making in governance. The Ghana government adopted the National Youth Policy in 2010 with the goal to empower the youth for effective participation in the development aspirations of Ghana. In addition through the effort of Youth Empowerment Synergy (YES-GHANA) and the Voices of Youth Coalition, the Ghana Youth Manifesto which has a similar mandate to the National Youth Policy also came into existence in the year 2012.

The Foundation for security and development in Africa (FOSDA) in 2010 also initiated Youth in Governance to encourage young people to actively contribute to national development. The African Union has also declared 2009-2018 as a period of youth empowerment in all member states. Some media houses over the years have also devoted some air time to assist the youth articulate their voices on national issues.

Among the media houses are Unique FM in Accra, Radio Central in Cape Coast and Shaft Radio in Obuasi. However, all these efforts have not been able to yield the desired result of getting majority of the Youth to actively be involved in governance at the local level. For instance the National Youth Policy had no action plan for its implementation until January, 2015. The objective of the Youth Policy is yet to be felt after over four years of its adoption. The action plan of the Youth policy stipulates that a youth committee is formed at the District level to ensure its successful implementation but these committees are yet to come to existence.

WHY THE CALL FOR YOUTH PARTICIPATION IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE

Youth exclusion is strongly evident in the formulation and implementation of policies in most MMDAs. The youth are mostly remembered during clean up exercises, floats, campaigns etc. That is not what we want but rather being involved meaningfully.

The Youth of Ghana are having the potential to steer the affairs of the country in future and so conscious effort must be laid to allow them to participate in local governance process. In addition, Ghana's population has a youthful structure and therefore involving them will give a clearer picture of societal needs. Youth Participation will generate greater trust between youth and institutions in the country and build their capacity at the same time.

The district level governance is development oriented and that is why the laws governing decentralization makes it people centered. The current local government system, as enshrined in the Local Government Act, 1993 (Act 462) is a four-tier structure consisting of 10 Regional Coordinating Councils (RCCs) at the regional level; Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, at the sub-regional level. Young people are therefore expected to be actively involved at all these levels since they are in the majority.

THE WAY FORWARD

The youth must be involved in policies and programmes that are designed for them. Government must devote a percentage of its appointees to the District Assemblies to the youths. The youth themselves must imbibe in themselves the spirit of volunteerism, patriotism, leadership potentials and be neutral during national discourse. Youth advocacy groups must be strengthened and there should be space created by the MMDAs for the youth to interact with public officials.

Duty bearers must whip the interest of the youth in the governance process by involving them meaningfully. For instance the Youth must be involved in budgeting and formulation Medium term plans of the Assemblies. Involving them in budgeting will afford MMDAs the opportunity to handle issues that affect young people. The media must use its platform to create awareness on youth development and why they must be involved meaningfully. The NCCE, CSOs and Religious bodies must sensitize the youth on why it is important they participate in governance.

ALI TANTI ROBERT

OBUASI

[email protected]

0246486740

The writer is the Director of Youth Alliance for Development a Youth led registered NGO with the sole aim of empowering the Youth to contribute to the development aspirations of Ghana with its head office in Obuasi.

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