NYA Holds Stakeholder Consultation on Youth, Peace and Security in Upper West Region

The National Youth Authority (NYA), in collaboration with its partners, has organized a multi-stakeholder consultation on the National Action Plan for Youth, Peace and Security in the Upper West Region.

Speaking at the event, the Upper West Regional Director of the NYA, Ms. Vida Addi, said the two-day program is aimed at ensuring active youth participation in shaping policies that affect them. She explained that the first day focused on consultations with youth leaders and groups from various districts, while the second day brought together key stakeholders to contribute to the action plan.

She noted that the initiative forms part of Ghana’s effort to domesticate relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions on youth, peace, and security.

Also addressing participants, the Business Development and Partnership Head of the NYA, Mr. Edmond Ofosu Yeboah, said the consultation was necessary to capture grassroots perspectives rather than imposing policies from the national level.

He revealed that youth participants proposed measures such as greater youth representation in peace-related institutions, improved employment opportunities, and a rethinking of traditional norms that limit youth involvement in decision-making.

The Upper West Regional Minister, in a statement read on his behalf by the Chief Director of the Regional Coordinating Council, Mrs. Pognaa Fati Issaka Koray, emphasized the need for meaningful youth participation.

He stressed that young people should be involved not only in consultations but also in the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the action plan, adding that sustainable peace depends on inclusive and practical contributions from the youth.

The engagements were led by the National Youth Authority (NYA), with support from UNFPA, KAIPTC, GIZ, the National Peace Council, and other partners, to ensure a youth-driven peace framework for Ghana.