The Reverend Abraham Swanzy, the Dormaa Area Head of the Church of Pentecost, has urged the youth to remain at the forefront of peace in the run-up to Election 2024.

“The country belongs to the youth, who are usually full of hope and great ambitions,” he said, asking them to remain guarded and not allow themselves to be used as conduits for political violence.

Apostle Swanzy indicated that the youth constituted an integral segment of society “whose future cannot be toyed with” and urged the youthful population to contribute their quota to averting political violence.

The Rev. Minister advised at a meeting on violent extremism organised by the Dormaa Municipal Office of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), held at Badukrom in the Municipality.

About 40 young people attended the meeting which was in line with the Commission’s European Union (EU) funded project dubbed, “Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism (PCVE) through the promotion of Social Cohesion and Tolerance in Ghana.

The meeting further sought to sensitise the participants on their civic rights and responsibilities.

Apostle Swanzy advised the participants to remain tolerant and endeavour to respect the views, social values and religious inclinations of everybody and learn to co-existence peacefully.

“We must appreciate our differences and learn how to live together as young people,” he stated, and urged religious leaders to be mindful of their utterances, refrain from inciting faith-based groups against one another.

Apostle Swanzy advised everybody to endeavour to verify or fact check before spreading information and entreated political parties to endeavour to accept the outcome of the Election 2024.

Earlier in a welcoming address, Mr Seth Broni Tagborloh, the Dormaa Municipal Director of the NCCE, said extremists’ groups and their activities were becoming common in Ghana’s neighbouring countries, saying it threatened the peace and stability of the nation too.

“We can’t take things for granted,” he stated and called for the need for all to remain watchful and report people with suspicious characters and movements to the security services, ahead of the Elections.

The meeting also sensitised the participants their respective roles in promoting peace, peaceful co-existence, and inter-faith tolerance as well as identifying and countering misinformation.