• Youth groups are an important voice in the governance process
• Speaker Alban Bagbin says these groups must be commended not condemned
• He says their activism amounts to being citizens not spectators
Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has spoken about the need for young people to be heard in their demand for accountability and inclusivity in nation-building and development.
According to him, giving the youth a voice in the affairs of the country provides seamless integration of their concerns in nation-building and thus promotes sustainable development.
In a statement carried by TV3, he stressed that youth groups that have come up in recent times must be commended and not condemned. He said these groups were playing their roles in seeking to be active participants in the governance of the country.
“In recent times in Ghana, there are some positive developments in the country that should be commended but not condemned.
“The formation of youth groups and movements in response to the call of the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to Ghanaians not to be spectators but citizens in the governance of the country should be supported by all well-meaning Ghanaians.
He continued: “So youth groups such as ‘Youth in Politics,’ ‘Youth in Development,’ ‘Fix The Country Now’ are all positive developments that should be encouraged and supported.”
Recently, a group of young activists emerged under the banner of #FixTheCountry campaign, a largely online group that leveraged on social media to demand good governance and accountability.
A planned march was torpedoed by Police months back before they managed to secure a court order that allowed them to protest in Accra in August. A second protest took place in Sekondi Takoradi on 21st September.
The #FixTheCountry campaign has been accused of political bias on several occasions by pro-government persons who say the group tilts towards and is even funded by the main opposition National Democratic Congress.
But the NDC’s 2020 flagbearer and former president, John Dramani Mahama, during his ongoing ‘Thank You Tour’ dismissed the talk of financing the group stressing that its activities were as a result of collective political failure.