Sege: The National Youth Authority (NYA), Ada West District Secretariat, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and youth groupings, has organized a youth-led town hall meeting aimed at promoting inclusive governance and encouraging youth participation in local planning and budgeting processes.
According to Ghana News Agency, the event, held at Sege under the theme 'Empowering the Youth for Participatory Governance and Sustainable Development,' gathered 98 young individuals from the Ada West and Ada East Districts. Participants engaged with development actors, local authorities, and civil society organizations on strategies to integrate youth perspectives into Ghana's local governance systems and demographic dividend agenda.
Mr. Matthias Kofi Blay, Greater Accra Regional Director of the NYA, highlighted the necessity of equipping young people with the necessary knowledge and tools to influence decisions impacting their communities. He stated, "The goal is to empower youth to understand the local assembly structure and how planning and budgeting processes work," emphasizing that NYA's definition of 'youth' includes all young people, regardless of disabilities or educational status.
Mr. Dennis Agbi, Ada West District Director of the NYA, indicated that the platform was established to promote dialogue, accountability, and empowerment. He identified sanitation and youth involvement in violent extremism as significant challenges affecting the area's youth. While acknowledging sanitation as a responsibility of service providers like Zoomlion, Mr. Agbi emphasized the shared civic duty in maintaining a clean environment.
Regarding violent extremism, he linked the rising risk to issues of youth unemployment and underemployment, calling for more livelihood opportunities to deter young people from destructive behaviors. The meeting also included interactive sessions on education, health, employment, and youth empowerment.
Participants expressed concerns about the limited youth involvement in district-level planning and advocated for institutionalizing youth representation on the District Planning and Coordinating Unit (DPCU) and other Assembly sub-committees. Ms. Nyame Patience, a participant from Sege, described the meeting as timely and enlightening, stating, "This meeting has opened our eyes to how the district budget works. We now know where to direct our concerns and how to follow up on government interventions."
Representatives from the District Assembly and partnering NGOs acknowledged the issues raised and committed to enhancing collaboration with youth groups. The program concluded with a call for regular engagement and follow-up mechanisms to ensure youth voices are integrated into the 2026 District Medium-Term Development Plan.
