By Gilbert Azeem Tiroog
Bolgatanga, Oct. 19, GNA – The Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), in partnership with the Rural Initiatives for Self-Empowerment-Ghana (RISE-Ghana), has organised a capacity-building workshop to empower women and the youth to effectively participate in local governance and electoral processes.
The participants, numbering 20, included women, political youth activists, Assembly Members, and past political aspirants drawn from various communities of the Bawku West District.
They were equipped with knowledge on barriers to women and youth participation in decision-making and electoral processes, key strategies to address these barriers, political tolerance and peace, political party campaigning and policy influencing advocacy, duties of a citizen, among others.
The initiative formed part of the “Enhancing Social Cohesion and Social Contract through the Empowerment of Women and Youth in Three Northern Regions of Ghana” project.
The project is being funded by the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and implemented by CDD-Ghana in collaboration with RISE-Ghana and the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE).
Mr Peter Annor Mensah, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist at CDD-Ghana, said the activity aimed to address barriers limiting women and youth participation in local governance and decision-making processes.
“We want to see more women and young people not only contesting but also contributing meaningfully to governance at the local level. This training is designed to give them the tools and confidence to engage constructively in electoral and governance processes,” he stated.
He said by building their capacity, they were now better positioned to contribute to decision-making in their localities and urged them to actively participate in elections and lead in decision-making processes.
Mr John Kaguna, a Project Officer at RISE-Ghana, said the collaboration seeks to promote peaceful political participation and leadership among marginalized groups.
“We believe that when political engagement is issue-based and inclusive, it reduces tensions and builds social cohesion. This initiative creates a platform for women and youth to share experiences, learn from mentors, and form cross-party alliances that promote peace,” he noted.
Mr Joachim Elbazar, the Nabdam District Director of the NCCE, who facilitated sessions on duties of a citizen, political tolerance among others, urged participants to serve as ambassadors of peace and inclusion in their communities.
“As political actors and community leaders, you have a responsibility to champion tolerance and discourage hate speech and political violence. Peaceful coexistence is the foundation for national development,” he emphasised.
Ms Vida Atenibilla Abugbune, Deputy Speaker of the Zebilla Constituency Youth Parliament, lauded the organisers for empowering women and youth to participate in politics and governance.
“These initiatives are truly empowering and impactful. However, only a few participants are able to attend workshops like this one. Most of us are committed to sharing what we have learned but face financial challenges in organising community sensitisations,” she said.
She appealed for support, especially radio airtime, to enable participants to reach wider audiences.
“If we could have dedicated radio slots in our districts, we could educate more women and youth on political participation, peaceful activism, and good governance,” she added.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Benjamin Mensah