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31.08.2018 General News

YAG Holds Forum On SDGs At Nsawam Adoagyiri

By Beyonce Diamond Kpogli
YAG Holds Forum On SDGs At Nsawam Adoagyiri
31.08.2018 LISTEN

Youth Advocates Ghana (YAG) has organized a forum on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the Nsawam Adoagyiri Municipal Assembly with the aim of disseminating the findings from the citizens Report project - pioneered by the Africa Monitor.

Over the past few months, the youth champions in Ghana - who were trained by Africa Monitor (AM) in South Africa, held citizens' hearings and through which citizens' voices were heard in three districts in Ghana in a bid to collect the citizens generated data and to monitor the implementation of the SDGs in Africa.

The citizens hearings focused on Goal 1 (No Poverty), Goal 3 (Health), Goal 4 (Education), Goal 5 (Gender Equality) and Goal 8 (Employment) of the SDGs.

The citizens' report was launched by Africa Monitor in collaboration with Youth Advocates Ghana in November 2017 at the 1st Africa Youth SDGs summit in Ghana.

The aim is to create awareness about the SDGs and to equip citizens, particularly the youth, to better demand delivery of services from their governments and to hold the government accountable; to improve development results and to improve policy responses to the need of the most vulnerable communities.

Emmanuel Clifford Gyetuah, who is the Leader of the Youths Champions from YAG, said the citizens hearings were meaningful as they gave the marginalized communities some level of inclusion.

"Young people have a role to play in engaging people at the grassroots level and in communicating the goals to a wider society ", he said.

The CEO of YAG, Mr. Emmanuel Ametepley, stated on his part that the youth do not want to go into agriculture because, they have the intention that, farming is for the less privileged.

"Nowadays, the youth see agriculture as a non-profitable venture. All they want is a white colour job, but that shouldn't be the case and I think if government supports and put more effort in agriculture, the youth will be interested" he said.

He, was however, not happy that farm lands are now being sold to estate developers.

"The Estate developers do come and buy our lands to build houses to make their profit, we need lands to farm on, to produce more food which can also lead us to the SDGs"

The Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Isaac Kwadjo Buabeng, advised chiefs and land owners who sell their lands to estate developers to also join hands in promoting the SDGs by giving their lands to farmers in order to promote agriculture and economy in the country.

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