Jirapa youth parliament inaugurated

Jirapa Municipal Youth Parliament has been inaugurated to offer young men and women the needed platform to engage with duty bearers in ensuring speedy growth and development of their communities.

It will also serve as a common voice in tackling key development issues, promote accountability, probity, transparency in the implementation of programmes and projects with stakeholders.

The platform, which elected Arnold Bayor as the speaker of the Jirapa youth parliament, was under the auspices of the National Youth Authority (NYA) and in collaboration with youth groups in the municipality, would seek to build a sustainable relationship between youth groups and governance structures in the decision-making processes and influence development outcomes.

Archibald Donkoh, the Acting Upper West Director of the NYA, Upper West, said the platform would look into issues that affected the development of the youth directly such as falling standards of education, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy and security saying, “It will ensure the youth contributed meaningfully to economic growth and development.

“It is imperative an enabling environment is created, the youth empowered to effectively and efficiently participate in the decision making processes, participation in the governance process at the local level will enable them to have direct and open access to discussions with duty bearers,” he noted.

Mr Donkoh refuted claims the youth parliament was “a political, pressure and vigilante group but a development focused group, I urge stakeholders to support and assist the youth to enable them properly contribute their quota to the growth and development of the Jirapa municipality.”

 Abass Caesar, the Acting Jirapa Municipal Director of NYA, added that the parliament was a tool for empowering the youth in the decision-making process in the municipality,
 a tangible interface between the youth and duty bearers on matters foundering young persons and the society.

“The youth parliament will also be used as a legal tool in fighting against teenage pregnancy and social vices in the area,” he said. -GNA