The Ghana Youth Federation (GYF) has launched its Eastern Regional chapter with 79 youth leaders representing all 33 districts, as the organisation steps up efforts to build a unified platform for youth participation in national development.

The launch, held on Thursday, August 6, 2026, at the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council in Koforidua, also saw the formal outdooring of interim regional executives who will lead the federation’s mobilisation efforts across the region.

The development forms part of GYF’s nationwide rollout of district and regional structures involving youth-led and youth-focused organisations registered with the National Youth Authority (NYA).

Speaking at the ceremony, a representative of the Eastern Regional Minister, Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, urged young people to work towards a common front to strengthen their influence in engagements with government and political actors.

She said a united youth voice would give young people greater leverage to push for policies and interventions addressing their concerns.

The newly outdoored interim executives also called on participating youth leaders to support the regional mobilisation process, stressing that the responsibility of building the federation could not rest solely with the leadership.

President of the Ghana Youth Federation, Sherif Ghali, described the launch as a significant step towards giving young people a coordinated platform to contribute to national development.

“We have been waiting for a unified voice for a long time — now we have it. Let us unite and contribute to national development. The success of this Federation takes all of us.”

Mr Ghali also outlined the federation’s mandate and national governance structure, explaining the decision to build its regional structures around existing youth-led and youth-focused organisations registered with the NYA.

According to the federation, the approach is intended to strengthen coordination among existing youth groups rather than create parallel structures.

The GYF is established under the National Youth Authority Act, 2016 (Act 939), and operates as a non-profit and non-partisan body representing youth organisations in Ghana.

It works with the National Youth Authority at the district, regional and national levels to advance issues affecting young people.

The participation of 79 youth leaders from all 33 districts was seen by organisers as an indication of interest in a more coordinated approach to youth representation in the Eastern Region.

The next phase will focus on the formation of District Youth Assemblies across the region’s 33 districts.

National Coordinator of the Ghana Youth Federation, Ali Ibraheem, said the district-level structures are expected to pave the way for a Regional Youth Assembly, where substantive regional leadership will be formally constituted and elected.

The Eastern Region launch comes as the GYF continues efforts to strengthen its national institutional presence, including work on its National Strategic Action Plan and representation on youth-related governance structures.

The federation has also been advocating greater youth participation in national processes, including discussions surrounding constitutional reform.