NYA engages youth on Youth Parliament Model

By Anthony Apubeo, GNA

Bolgatanga, March 12, GNA - The National Youth Authority (NYA) in the Upper East Region has organized a Training of Trainers (TOT) workshop to sensitize some selected youth in the region on the ideals of the Youth Parliament Model.

The participants, who were drawn from all the 15 Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs) in the region for the TOT programme, were equipped with modalities involved in the model and assigned to their various MDAs to also train their colleagues with the objective of forming Youth Parliaments in all the MDAs in the region.

The Youth Parliaments to be formed are expected to be inaugurated by the end of March, 2019.

Mr Mumuni Sulemana, the Director of Operations and Programmes at the NYA, said the formation of the Youth Parliament Models across all Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the country was to empower and build the capacities of the youth to participate actively in the decision-making process.

He said the incessant demonstrations and strikes often embarked upon by the youth in the country were as result of the lack of political space to allow them participate effectively in decision making in the various local government structures.

Mr Sulemana said after the training and formation of the Youth Parliament, duty bearers would be summoned by these parliaments to account to the houses their stewardships adding that the model would also serve as advocacy tools for the youth to champion development agenda in their respective areas.

Mr Sulemana said the Youth Parliament was piloted in the Upper West Region in 2010 and this created a platform for the youth in the area to hold government functionaries accountable.

Their efforts, he said, has led to the completion of certain government infrastructure that were abandoned some years ago and has compelled duty bearers and other heads of institutions to perform credibly living up to their responsibilities and tasks.

He said that the Youth Parliament Model would also help build the capacities of the youth who have the ambition to become Parliamentarians and help reduce the training cost of new Parliamentarians.

He said the Youth Parliament Model would not only create room for the youth to be involved in running the affairs of the nation, but would also help them to play significant roles in the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Director of Operations and Programmes said that apart from the Youth Parliament Model being formed at the MMDAs levels, they would also be formed at the regional and national levels as well as at the secondary and tertiary institutions.

He said the President would address the National Youth Parliament dubbed “State of Youth Affairs” in future and the youth would have the opportunity to quiz him.

The youth expressed readiness to train their colleagues in their various MDAs and to form the Parliaments to help strengthen accountability and local governance to ensure sustainable national development.

GNA

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