The Gender and Reproductive Health Advocacy Youth Network (GRAY Network), has organized stakeholder engagement workshops in the Volta Region, targeting the strengthening of inclusive governance. 

The initiative, which falls under the Strengthening Inclusive Governance in Ghana through Youth and Women Leadership Development and Advocacy Campaigns, saw workshops held in the South Tongu District, Ho, and Hohoe Municipalities. 

With funding from the Canadian High Commission to Ghana, Togo, and Sierra Leone, about 103 participants, including District Assembly officials, municipal authorities, traditional authorities, youth, and persons with disabilities participated in the workshops. 

Key issues the participants identified to have hindered their participation in the governance process, included limited youth representation in decision-making spaces, weak consultation mechanisms within district planning systems, barriers affecting young women’s leadership participation, and persistent accessibility gaps for youth with disabilities.

These issues were compiled into a comprehensive policy framework and were presented to government agencies for the appropriate action, focusing on creating the needed channels for the marginalized to contribute to governance processes.

Prominent among recommendations tabled include establishing youth advisory desks within District Assemblies, allocating youth representation in town hall meetings and budget hearings, integrating youth inputs into Medium-Term Development Plans, and institutionalizing biannual youth–government dialogue platforms. 

The participants also emphasized formal collaboration with youth civic platforms through logistical support and partnership in accountability and social monitoring initiatives.

The Presiding Member for South Tongu District Assembly, Mensah Kwaku Kudze, underscored the significance of the program, hoping it would set the stage to bridge gaps in the governance process. 

He lauded the call to establish Youth Advisory Committees at the District Assemblies, to coordinate affairs between the youth and assemblies, promising that “the assemblies will make some grants available for the operations of the committee”.

Gender-responsive and disability-inclusive governance emerged as central priorities, where persons with disabilities lamented the “discriminatory and unconcerned attitude” by the public and the government to their needs. 

Authorities were, therefore, urged to address structural barriers affecting young women, promote their leadership participation, enforce anti-discrimination practices, and ensure accessible civic spaces and materials for youth with disabilities.

Engagement with traditional authorities  

Gray Network also had engagements with two Traditional Councils, where the authorities acknowledged existing gaps in youth participation and committed to improving inclusion in decision-making processes. 

They further pledged to establish structured mentorship and grooming pathways to equip young people with knowledge of customs and traditions, thereby enhancing meaningful participation at the traditional council level.

The immediate outcomes of the forums include strengthened multi-level policy dialogue, increased stakeholder inclusivity, and enhanced trust between youth and authorities, as well as formal commitments from both government institutions and traditional leaders. 

With continued support, the initiative is expected to institutionalize youth participation mechanisms, strengthen gender-responsive and disability-inclusive governance practices, and generate sustainable impact across project communities in the 3 district of the Volta Region.