The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has inaugurated a 30-member Youth Parliament in the metropolis to help address issues of concern to both the youth and residents in the communities.
This is also to enable the youth to be involved in decision making at the local and decentralized levels in the country.
The Parliamentarians were inaugurated under the leadership of the Regional Director of the National Youth Authority, Matthias Blay. It was on the theme: “The Quest for a cleaner City”
Matthias Blay praised the initiative because according to him, it would encourage the youth to participate in national building through development and capacity building as the government forge ahead to make Accra the cleanest city in Africa.
He advised the youth to embrace the value of discipline, self-respect and be responsible.
“We encouraged the youth to take responsibility of certain things in the metropolis. As the theme talks about sanitation, we expect them to direct their agenda towards ensuring clean environment and good health because bad sanitation normally leads to bad health and low productivity,”, he noted.
“We must work together as citizens to find a lasting solution to the filth in Accra. Though government has a major role to play in tackling this canker, the citizens equally must help in the handling of waste at their various places,” he added.
Speaker of the Youth Parliament, Prince Kwofie, acknowledged the efforts of the government in encouraging youth participation in national issues through the formation of youth Parliaments in the various municipalities. He was hopeful that this would address the concerns affecting the youth in the metropolis.
“We would not only debate on sanitation but will highlight on other areas such as unemployment, sports, education, skills training among others. We hope after several engagements, most of us would be responsible leaders and take decisions for a better future”, he said.
Both the Majority and Minority leaders, Prince Botchway and Edward Ankrah agreed to work together to put the agenda of the House into better perspective.
Source: Eric Nii Sackey || ghananewsonline.com.gh
