The youth of Madina, in the La Nkwantanang-Madina Municipality in the Greater Accra region, have been urged to play a proactive role in ensuring a peaceful and credible electoral process by avoiding misinformation and disinformation in the lead-up to the 2024 elections.
Mrs. Doris Agyemang, Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), delivered this message during a community engagement session aimed at educating the youth on their civic responsibilities.
Speaking at a Community based Civic Engagement training organized by CDD and Mother of all Nations, Mrs. Agyemang highlighted the significant impact of false information on democratic processes, particularly during election periods.
She stressed that the youth, as active participants on social media and digital platforms, must be vigilant and responsible in verifying the accuracy of information before sharing it.
Mrs. Agyemang encouraged the youth to rely on credible news sources and official channels to stay informed and to counter false narratives that could incite tension and disrupt the peace. Mrs. Agyemang reminded the youth that they are not only the future leaders of the country but also key stakeholders in ensuring a fair and transparent election process.
The Executive Director of Mother of All Nations Foundation stressed igniting the passions and the power that young people hold within us to transform the community in which we find ourselves in.
According to him, Ghana’s youth make up close to about 38% of the total population, which means that over 1 third of Ghana rests on the strength of the youth. Yet, when it comes to critical moments like elections, we see only a handful of young people actively participating, not because we are not of voting age, but because we have constantly thought that voting for us is not what we need to do, and our votes are not necessary our voices will not even matter, should we vote.
” The unfortunate truth is that only a small percentage of youth in Ghana take active roles in governance, and that needs to change. Imagine the impact if every one of us here and the targeted youths outside actually see how best it would contribute to this country’s development and, for which reason, actively engage in governance, we will be far on when it comes to demanding accountability, integrity, and transparency from our DTFs,” he said.
Youth need to understand the process behind policy formulation and the implementation of these policies that have been formulated. Governance is a conversation, not a monologue, and you must take part in active roles in this dialogue we are all calling for.
He said the youth hold the power to effect change at the grassroots level. Change doesn’t always have to start at the top. It starts right here in our communities.
We are living in a data age, where the power of social media is immense. Social media is going to be our microphone. It’s going to be our amplifier, and it gives us the platform to amplify organized issues, share stories from our communities, and raise concerns that no longer will be ignored by those who are supposed to hear them.
The engagement forms part of the CDD and Mother of all Nations initiative to promote civic education and awareness, aiming to equip citizens, especially young people, with the knowledge and tools to discern between factual information and misleading content.
