The Legions to organise youth-centered presidential debate in October

The Legions, a youth-led civil society and advocacy group, is set to organize a youth-centered presidential edition of the 'Ghana Speaks' Debate in Accra.

The debate is expected to host the presidential candidates of political parties seeking to participate in the upcoming 2024 general elections.

The Head of Programs for the Legions, Reigneth Patterson, said preparations are underway to get all presidential candidates on board for a thought-provoking debate.

"As you may be aware, we successfully organized the maiden edition of the Ghana Speaks Debate, which saw the youth representatives of the NPP, NDC, CPP, United One Ghana, and Movement for Change engage in a political debate about their policies and their intentions for Ghana. On the back of that, plans are far advanced to get all presidential candidates to participate in the debate," she said with respect to the upcoming debate.

The Executive Director of the Legions, Willis Cobby Iddirisu, also added his voice to the calls by many Ghanaians for a presidential debate. "The debate is one of the key ways we can properly appreciate the plans and aspirations of the various presidential candidates. So for me, it is very important for us to have a debate; it draws the lines, gives the public an opportunity to hear the policies drafted in manifestos, and is also a way to gather support for their dreams and aspirations," he added.

This attempt to organize the second edition of the Ghana Speaks Debate comes in response to requests by many Ghanaians and civil society organizations for a debate between the presidential candidates seeking to participate in the 2024 general elections.

Earlier this year, the Legions organized a youth version of the debate, where youth representatives of political parties were given the opportunity to share their parties' ideas and policies for the youth. The Legions is also set to launch the Youth Manifesto, a well-researched and all-inclusive policy document to help politicians understand the needs of the youth in the lead-up to the 2024 general elections in Ghana.