NCCE Urges Youth to Foster Peace Ahead of December Elections.

Nabdam: Mr Joachim Elbazar, Nabdam District Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has called on the youth in the area to promote peace and tolerance in the lead-up to the December 7 general elections. 'The youth represent the highest demographic group in the Nabdam District and are crucial in ensuring peaceful and democratic elections. We must foster a culture of peace, tolerance, and national cohesion, especially as we approach the 2024 elections to maintain our democratic gains,' he said.According to Ghana News Agency, the Director made the call when he engaged the youth as part of the European Union (EU)-sponsored project, dubbed: 'Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism (PCVE)' being implemented by the NCCE in the five regions of Northern Ghana and three other adjoining regions. The initiative aimed at raising awareness among young people of the dangers of violent extremism, electoral violence, and the importance of peaceful participation in the democratic process.Mr Elba zar highlighted that although Ghana had maintained a stable democracy over the years, there was a growing threat of terrorism and violent extremism in West Africa, with neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali ranked high on the Global Terrorism Index. This posed increasing security challenges to the country due to its proximity to the affected countries. He warned that some political actors might exploit the vulnerability of the youth to stir up trouble during the elections by offering them a small pittance, as reported in the past, and urged the youth to resist such attempts.'The youth must resist being used to cause mayhem because these actions do not only undermine the democratic process but also open the door for violent extremism to take root,' he emphasised. Mr Theophilus Abolga, a Project Officer at the Good Governance Justice and Peace Directorate of the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Catholic Diocesan Development Organisation (NABOCADO), in a presentation on political tolerance for peaceful elections, indicated th at as future leaders, it was important they tolerated each other even when they were in opposition to those views to create a harmonious environment for them to coexist peacefully.He said peaceful elections were key for sustainable development, and the youth, in their capacity, must ensure their actions do not jeopardise the peace of the country to create an atmosphere that would enable them to achieve their full potential in life. Mr Hamidu Abugri, District Officer of the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), also speaking on violent extremism and youth radicalisation, said that as a result of the vulnerability of the youth they sometimes became targets of violent extremists and urged them to guard themselves.He emphasised that as youth activists, they had the power to lead by example by showing their peers that political differences could be handled without violence and that democracy thrived on tolerance and dialogue.