The profile of the Zongo community in Kwaprow, a suburb of Cape Coast in the Central region, has been uplifted, cementing its name on the leadership map of Africa after its chief, Sariki Abdul Karim Dawda Chika Mayei I was named as an ECOWAS Special Envoy for Diplomacy.

During the Islamic Council Africa Assembly held at the National Theatre in Accra, which doubled as the swearing-in ceremony of the chief, Sariki Abdul Karim Dawda Chika Mayei I, received the high honour under the Islamic Council of the International Youth Network for the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250 (IYNUNSCR2250).

The position involves serving as a high-level representative responsible for promoting peace, dialogue and cooperation in the African region.

The prestigious position and strategic role are often bestowed on individuals with significant experience, moral authority or influence, such as diplomats, former presidents or respected traditional authorities.

Sharing his excitement at the honour, the Zongo chief vowed to rally the youth to promote peace in Africa. He also urged all African countries to pay attention to civil unrest in other parts of Africa and the world, emphasising how global peace is interlinked across all countries. He called on the youth to be champions of global peace.

He also shared some advice with the youth.

"Drug abuse has become a growing crisis that remains unresolved, with even teenagers and young adults now turning to hard substances. We are appealing to the youth to stay away from dangerous drugs like 'red', tramadol, and other potent medications. Our mission is to promote peace across the world, with the youth involved, but how can we achieve this when their minds are clouded by substance abuse? A sound mind is essential for this cause." He said.

On the mission of promoting peace, the global president of IYNUNSCR2250, Dr. Lilian Sally Addo, advocated for more young people to join the fight for peace.

Organisations like ours are mandated to promote peace. We promote the Security Council's agenda of peace, and our main focus is to ensure that there is peace in our communities. To achieve this, we need everyone to participate in the decision-making. If adults and young people collaborate, regardless of tribe, religion or race, no one will succeed in instigating violence. The whole agenda is to nurture and educate more young people."

The ECOWAS Islamic Council Africa Assembly is a regional forum where Islamic religious leaders and institutions engage with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to collaborate on key issues affecting the region. For this assembly, one of the significant issues raised was bridging the gap between tradition and modern-day advancement.

In his address, the First Vice President of the ECOWAS Islamic Youth Council, Ambassador Dr. Abdul Razak Toure, acknowledged the sacred role of traditional leaders in aligning tradition with modern technology. He also encouraged traditional authorities to weaponise education to empower the youth and protect them from violent exploitation.

"We must empower the youth with policies and platforms that prevent the youth from being vulnerable. Education must become our strongest weapon. Dialogue must replace vision, inclusion must replace isolation. It is our sacred duty as traditional leaders to bridge the gap between tradition and transformation, to open doors and not close them, to provide wisdom, not wars, to build youth councils, not courts, and to invest in the healing powers of our culture. Our values should not be an instrument of destruction."