The Foundation for Security and Development in Africa (FOSDA) has trained 40 youth  across the country on social policy influencing techniques aimed at amplifying effective youth participation in decision making.

The ‘Youth Policy Influencing Training Workshop’ was designed to harness the creative minds of the youth on social media and redirect their energies into social policy influencing for youth participation and development.

In her opening remarks, FOSDA Executive Director Theodora W. Anti explained the purpose of the training and encouraged participants to fully utilize the training to amplify their voices on key national issues of concern. She continued by stating that participants for this training were carefully chosen from a pool of over 400 applicants with a special interest in social policies.

Furthermore, she  highlighted the need  to give young people the capacity to influence social policies, especially those that matter to them and their development. She stressed on the fact that the voices of young people are not loud enough in respect to issues on their  education, health,  employment, their security and safety.

“Due to economic downturns, there is a lot of tension in the system, and people are becoming very aggressive. So, we hope that this will assist young people in channeling their grievances rather than picking up arms or fighting. However, they should use their social media power to make their voices heard and to persuade duty bearers to do what they are proposing or calling for. This is also very important in this day and age of technology and thriving social media platforms,” she added.

The Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority in charge of Programs and Operations, Mr. Nelson Owusu-Ansah, commended FOSDA and Oxfam for the initiative and expressed the Authority’s readiness to partner CSOs in the implementation of  2022 -2032 National Youth Policy for a better youth.

“We are in a time when more Ghanaian youth are getting education, and there are also more spaces for youth participation and inclusion,” he added.

He urged the youth not to be dismayed in these difficult times but, to remain steadfast and channel their energies  positively for both personal and national development.

Mr. Wumbei Dokurugu, Oxfam’s Programme Officer, stated that the voices of young people are simply not loud enough to effect the necessary change in the socioeconomic space. He encourages young people to speak up more and focus their efforts on demanding accountability from those in positions of power.