Youth development must be key
Election 2016 is just around the corner and most of the major political parties have already elected their flag bearers while the remaining are getting their act together to settle on who represents them in the November 7, 2016 Presidential Election.
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In the last six elections that have been held in this country under the Fourth Republican Constitution, the youth of this country played the protagonist role in both the presidential and parliamentary campaigns leading to the election of Presidents and Members of Parliament.
In the 2012 presidential and parliamentary elections in particular, the youth were at the forefront of the political campaigns and in some cases presented themselves for election.
The lucky ones among them got elected as Members of Parliament to represent the people in their respective constituencies in the august House of Parliament.
Interestingly, President John Dramani Mahama, who was the victor in the 2012 presidential election as well as his party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), garnered 149 seats in Parliament; therefore, forming the majority in Parliament, which have a sizeable number of youth in his government serving as Ministers of State as well as Deputy Ministers.
Additionally, there are a number of youth serving as Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives across the country.
There are also a number of young adults serving as Managing Directors, Chief Executives and heads of state-owned institutions and organisations among others.
It was therefore the hope of the teeming majority of Ghanaians that workable and practical policies and programmes would be initiated to change the fortunes of the youth of this country, especially those who have completed universities and other tertiary institutions as well as professional training institutions.
The expectation was that the youth in government as well as Parliament would influence decisions and policies that would enhance youth development and transformation.
Sadly, the case is different as policies and programmes directed at changing the lives of the youth are either not yielding the necessary results or at best recording minimal gains.
Moving around town and other parts of the country, there is a picture of general desperation and disillusion among the youth of this country.
Majority of them who have gone through formal education at least to the university level are not gainfully employed and those who have something to do are just leading a hand-to-mouth life. A lot of them are still being housed and fed by their parents.
There are some who are striving to get out of the woods by applying their entrepreneurial skills to earn a living while others with weak educational background or without any formal education engage in "Sakawa" and cybercrime to survive.
There is another group that has now found solace in gambling. They are now the patrons of the numerous betting centres across the country, trying their luck in football predictions and other sporting activities.
A visit to any of these betting centres will reveal a number of youth engrossed in predictions. A number of them become successful when their predictions come true and win some money to keep body and soul together.
This is a regular feature 24/7 and I feel very disturbed about this new-found love for the youth, particularly when the habit of gambling becomes inherent in the daily lives of the youth of this country, who are usually described as the leaders of tomorrow.
I therefore appeal to all political party leaders and civil society organisations in preparing their manifestos for the 2016 election to consider the predicament in which the youth of this country find themselves and initiate programmes and policies that will help in their advancement.
I also believe that whatever policies and programmes the political parties have for the youth will not be just mere paperwork but something that would greatly transform the direction and future of the youth of this country.
I will also entreat the youth to demand their pound of flesh from political leaders including those in government as well as the others aspiring to form the next government.
They should insist on the package they have for them, analyse their policies and programmes and find out whether they are attainable or just for window dressing.
These should inform them on which party or candidate they should throw their weight behind. They shouldn't just be swayed by the peanuts and other non-essentials that are handed to them in exchange for their votes.
The time for a transformed youth is now.
