CEO addresses opening of the SDG 16 National youth dialogue

The CEO of the NYA, Hon. Pius Enam Hadzide attended the Opening Session of the 2-day SDG 16 National Youth Dialogue held at the Crystal Palm Hotel in Accra. The Dialogue which was organised by Youth Advocates Ghana in partnership with the UNDP brings together young people from all the regions of the country to deliberate on the importance of the youth in achieving SDG 16 which borders on maintaining global peace, establishing strong institutions and providing justice. The Dialogue is being held under the theme “Mobilising the Youth for the achievement of SDG 16 in Ghana”.

In his address, Hon. Hadzide observed that the rapid globalisation fostered by the internet and new media while presenting many opportunities and pathways for the youth also carried a threat to the peace we enjoyed. He noted that “the discrepancy between the rights and opportunities enjoyed by young people elsewhere can also cause frustration amongst young people, particularly in developing countries where these opportunities are largely absent. A frustration which when unchecked can lead to aggression and have security implications.” Hon. Hadzide suggested that the way to tackle this threat was to address structural issues that impeded the educational, economic, political and social advancement of young people.

Speaking on the recent #FixTheCountry campaign, he emphasised that fixing the country was a process which demanded the collective effort of both the government and the people and stressed that several initiatives had and continued to be put in place by the government to stimulate the comprehensive development of the youth such as Free SHS, One District One Factory (1D1F), NYA Youth Parliaments, National Entrepreneurship & Innovation Programme (NEIP), Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ), Nation Builders Corps (NABCo).

He concluded that the focus on the comprehensive development of the youth was the surest way to involve the youth in keeping the peace, strengthening our institutions and providing justice