A two-day roundtable discussion on implementing the National Youth Parliament (NYP) has opened in Accra with a call on the youth to prepare to take up leadership positions.
The forum, which seeks to audit the mechanism and process of the implementation of the (NYP) is being sponsored by UNESCO, in collaboration with the Youth Bridge Foundation (YBF), Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Youth Authority (NYA).
Dubbed" Implementing the National Youth Parliament: The Way Forward" the Programme has drawn participants from different parts of the country, including youth organisations, student parliaments from tertiary institutions and civil society organisations.
Addressing the forum on Tuesday, Mr Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, Minister of Youth and Sports reiterated government's commitment of addressing issues concerning the youth.
According to him, the Youth has a responsibility to become useful to society, whiles government owes it a duty to provide a congenial environment for the youth.
Professor Kwaku B. Asante, an international consultant, said many policy decisions in the country are taken without implementation, adding that, discussions on the NYP without addressing such issues were not enough.
He advised the youth to go beyond achieving academic excellence, but should be ready to take initiatives to positively impact the society.
Mr Seth Oteng, Executive Director of YBF stated the need for the youth to crave for knowledge acquisition to let their voices be heard through meaningful dialogue.
He called for more attention to be given to adult education and literacy programmes, adding that" the development bus cannot and must not move without bringing the younger generation on board to participate in decision making process without any social, political and gender discrimination" he added.