Don’t join political violence: politicians will not allow their children to do so – Bono Minister

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Justina Owusu-Banahene

Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, the Bono Regional Minister has cautioned the youth against lawlessness and political violence, ahead of the election 2024.

She said politicians would not in any way allow their children to engage in any sort of election violence, and urged the youth to be guarded against that and stay away from politicians who might lure or influence them to foment trouble, that might disturb national peace.

The Regional Minister said the various law enforcement agencies were ever ready and would not tolerate violent behaviours that would mar the beauty of the general election and plunged the nation into chaos.

Madam Owusu-Banahene gave the caution in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the side-lines of a forum to mark this year’s International Youth Day (IYD) in Sunyani.

It was on the theme ‘accelerating green economy and adolescent wellbeing: promoting youth digital pathway for sustainable development.”

Instead of allowing themselves to be used as conduit to perpetrate political violence, the Regional Minister, advised the youth to channel their exuberances into productive activities, find something worth doing, and concentrate on building a better future.

Activista, a youth-led movement, jointly with the Young Urban Women Movement (YUWM), the Sunyani Adolescent Parliament, and the National Youth Authority organised the forum with funding from ActionAid Ghana (AAG), a non-governmental organisation.

In 1999, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed the recommendation by the World Conference of Ministers of Youth (Lisbon, 8-12 August 1998) that August 12 be declared IYD.

Since then, the day had been observed annually to serve as a platform to shed light on youth issues globally, and to celebrate the immense potential of the youth as vital partners in today’s ever-evolving society.

Madam Owusu-Banahene said since Ghanaians opted for democratic governance in 1992 successive administrations had through the 1992 Constitution strived to build a prosperous nation, saying acts of political violence would do the country no good, but rather derail development.

As the future leaders, the youth could grow into responsible adulthood only if they adhered to sound moral values, avoid lawlessness and violent behaviours, as well as stay away from alcoholism and substance abuses, she said.

Earlier, Mr Kwame Afram Denkyira, the Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo Regional Programmes Manager, AAG, said the shift towards an environmentally sustainable and climate-friendly world remained critical not only for responding to the global climate crisis, but also for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

He said a successful transition towards a greener world would depend on the development of green skills in the population, explaining green skills were “knowledge, abilities, values and attitudes needed to live in, develop and support a sustainable and resource-efficient society.”

These include but were not limited to technical knowledge and digital skills that enable the effective use of green technologies and processes in occupational settings, as well as cross skills that draw on a range of knowledge, values and attitudes to facilitate environmentally sustainable decisions in work and in life. —GNA