As part of efforts to ensure peaceful elections this year, the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has recently organised programmes aimed at educating the public, especially the media, political actors, youth groups, and institutions.

On Tuesday, October 22, 2024, youth groups from various political parties in the Volta Region participated in a peace dialogue held by the MFWA in Ho.

The event focused on sensitising the youth about the upcoming December 7th general elections.

In an interview, Daniel Kwame Ampofo Adjei, the Institutional Development, Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Manager at the MFWA, emphasised the importance of the dialogue. He explained that its purpose was to bring young people together to raise awareness about peaceful rhetoric and to educate them on how to identify fake news, particularly during the political campaign season.

He added that the youth are key stakeholders in Ghana’s electoral process.

“They are responsible for communicating their respective political parties' intentions and for conveying the aspirations and interests of the people back to those parties," he said, highlighting the importance of the peace dialogue.

Adjei also urged the participants to be mindful of their statements on radio, as their words are being closely monitored.

Dr. David Esinu Yao Normanyo, Volta Regional Executive Secretary of the National Peace Council, echoed the call for peaceful elections. He advised young people aspiring to a political career to do so without engaging in activities that could incite violence.

Jones Amegashie Viglo, Executive Director of Youth Impact Parliament, a Ho-based private youth parliament, stressed that young people are often used as tools to incite violence, but if they resolve to be peaceful, the elections will certainly be peaceful.

Another participant, Rita Batse, Deputy Administrator for the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Youth Wing in the Hohoe Constituency, said the workshop had been enlightening, and she promised to correct any past mistakes to help maintain peace in the country.

Representatives from various political parties who attended the event also pledged to prioritize peace in the upcoming elections.