National Youth Authority Engages Greater Accra Youth on Leadership and Inclusive Participation

About 100 youth leaders from districts, municipalities and metropolitan areas across the Greater Accra Region participated in a Regional Youth Engagement on Leadership Participation on Saturday, January 17, 2026, aimed at strengthening inclusive governance and youth involvement in local decision-making.

The engagement, held at the Church of Pentecost Hall in Maamobi within the Ayawaso North Municipality, was organized by the National Youth Authority (NYA) to empower young people with knowledge on opportunities available within district, municipal and metropolitan assemblies.

Opening the programme, the Greater Accra Regional Director of the NYA, Mr. Matthias Blay, said the engagement was designed to address the information gap that continues to limit youth participation in local governance.

He observed that many young people are unable to access opportunities available to them because they are not well informed and remain disconnected from key local government officials such as Assembly Members, Unit Committee Chairpersons, District Chief Executives and Presiding Members.

Mr. Blay urged the youth to remain responsible, united and proactive, stressing that inclusive participation is critical to youth development.

He further disclosed that outcomes from the engagement would inform the development of a strategic blueprint to guide youth programming and operations of the NYA at the local level.

The programme featured a presentation on Youth Leadership, Active Participation, Responsibility and Accountability, followed by breakout group discussions where participants examined challenges affecting youth inclusion in governance and leadership.

The groups later presented their findings and recommendations during plenary discussions.

Presenting on behalf of Group Five, Dr. Joseph Kobla Wemakor, a youth leader, journalist and human rights activist, appealed to authorities to deliberately promote inclusive youth participation in governance processes.

He called for the creation of practical opportunities for young people to be involved in decision-making at the local level, including representation on committees and development planning structures.

Dr. Wemakor, who is the Convener of the Youth Sub-platform of the Ghana Civil Society Organizations Platform on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Executive Director of Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG), emphasized that youth inclusion should go beyond consultation to meaningful engagement.

He noted that empowering young people to participate actively in governance would strengthen accountability, transparency and sustainable development.

Also addressing the gathering was the Director of Programmes and Operations at the National Youth Authority, Mr. Archibald Donkor Jr., who urged the youth to organize themselves into strong and coordinated groups to amplify their voices and improve access to opportunities.

He touched on key youth issues including unemployment, skills development and civic responsibility, and encouraged participants to remain informed and engaged.

Mr. Donkor commended participants for setting aside their busy schedules to attend the engagement and educated them on the role of the Ghana Youth Federation (GYF), recently inaugurated by government to coordinate youth groups nationwide.

He encouraged them to actively participate in the federation to benefit from government-led youth empowerment initiatives.

The engagement, facilitated by a team from the National Youth Authority, also featured interactive question-and-answer sessions and group presentations, which generated discussions on practical solutions to barriers facing youth participation in governance.

Organizers say the engagement marks a significant step toward strengthening youth leadership, promoting inclusive governance and positioning young people as active partners in Ghana’s development agenda.