Some youth in the Bono Region are calling for a more concerted and vociferous campaign to pressurize duty bearers to implement policies and programmes that will help improve the livelihood of young people across Ghana.

According to them, the ad hoc measures taken by successive governments to fix challenges confronting young people has not been helpful over the years.

The youth who were speaking to JoyNews on the sidelines of this year’s International Youth Day celebration at Sunyani in the Bono region stressed that government must design pragmatic policies that will holistically address the needs of young people.

A youth activist, Collins Osei, reiterated that Ghana could only achieve prosperity if the youth are empowered through measurable policies and programmes.

“We the young people of Ghana urge duty bearers to develop youth-centred policy interventions that will transform the youth as productive members of society, active citizens, and drivers of socio-economic development in the country,” he stressed.

Mr. Osei said the youth needed interventions in education, health, employment and other areas, since human resource is significant to achieving the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

He noted that efforts towards achieving the SDGs in Ghana is partly dependent on the situation of young people and bridging the gap between their present realities and the SDG targets.

The youth activist stressed that “focusing on the youth will be in fulfillment of national, regional and international commitments including the 1992 Constitution, the African Youth Charter as well as the United Nations World Programme on Youth which Ghana is signatory to”.

On his part, a young Agribusiness entrepreneur, Yaw Obese Akyea, said “we want to see concrete policies and programmes, we want assurances on the decision making table, and we want a more comprehensive national youth policy that shapes youth development in Ghana”.

He further stated that making the youth the pivot of national development will have direct dividends for the current and future generations.

Obese Akyea called on policy makers to partner the youth at all levels towards a more inclusive and sustainable development process.