YOUTH IN PEACE BUILDING FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

As conflicts across Sub-Saharan Africa continues to threaten the peace and security of many nations in the sub region, there is  the urgent  need for the institution of well coordinated conflict transformation and peace building mechanisms that ensures that the youth are well integrated as change agents in all strives at attaining peace.

Owing to the cardinal role that peace plays in national development, the youth manifesto of Ghana has proposed series of conflict preventive and transformative recommendations relevant in mainstreaming the youth in promoting national peace and security. These recommendations include:

Instituting mechanisms to promote a culture of peace, tolerance and dialogue: in the perspective of the youth manifesto of Ghana, the institution of well structured conflict transformation and peace building mechanisms that develops tolerance and dialogue among young people will significantly contribute in discouraging their participation in acts of violence.

Mechanisms geared towards promoting a culture of peace, tolerance and dialogue should to a large extent rally the Ghanaian youth to interact, learn and appreciate the diverse culture/traditions, beliefs and values of the various ethnic groups in Ghana.

This will enable the Ghanaian youth develop a greater sense of cultural relativity in order to overcome the many cultural shocks that are encountered when varying cultures interact. Overcoming these barriers will establish the needed tolerance and dialogue among the youth and the Ghanaian citizenry at large for peaceful co-existence.

Also, mechanisms directed towards promoting a culture of peace, tolerance and dialogue should be committed in identifying and addressing the barriers and limitations that hinder tolerance and dialogue among the Ghanaian citizenry. Measures in this regard should have the youth play leading roles in order to nurture them on the value of tolerance and healthy dialogue for national growth and development.

Mainstreaming the youth in to these activities will also develop their capacity to become peace advocates and ambassadors for the promotion of peace building and conflict transformation; thus contributing significantly in discouraging their engagement in acts of violence that threatens national peace and security.

Furthermore, addressing youth unemployment will go a long way to discourage the involvement of the youth in acts of violence. Youth unemployment continues to make the youth vulnerable to being used in committing acts of violence that in most situations has resulted in the destruction of lives and property; thus retarding national growth and development.

Addressing the worsening state of youth unemployment in Ghana will enable them engage in viable ventures that judiciously harness their ingenuity, vibrancy and energy to propel national development. These youth employment measures should also to a large extend identify and support the many young entrepreneurs that have several innovative ideas relevant in creating jobs and job opportunities for many other youth and the Ghanaian citizenry at large.

In our quest to institute mechanisms to promote a culture of tolerance and dialogue, measures should be put in place to address the factors that instigate acts of ethnocentrism. The feeling that one’s ethnic group has a mode of living, values and patterns of adaptation that are superior to those of other groups is a threat to the tolerance and dialogue needed for national unity and peace.

When society manifest ethnocentric acts such as: superiority, hostility, violence, discrimination, verbal aggressiveness etc, it affects the level at which the youth are able to cultivate a sound cultural relativity in order to dialogue and tolerate the views, values and opinions of other cultures. The long term effects of these actions leads to the breakdown of national unity which eventually destabilizes the nation’s peace and security.

Well structured mechanisms should therefore be instituted that integrates the youth in its interventions in order to curtail all forms of actions and tendencies of ethnocentrism. Waging a nationwide action against all forms of ethnocentrism will contribute significantly in establishing the much needed tolerance and dialogue for national development.

Strengthen the capacity of the youth and youth organizations on peace building and conflict prevention and resolution. According to the youth manifesto of Ghana, young people are most vulnerable to be used as perpetuators of conflicts and insecurity; hence should be equipped with the needed capacity development on peace building and conflict transformation to discourage their engagement in conflicts.

These capacity development programs should be practically structured with well defined methodologies and integrated in to the country’s educational curricula. This will ensure that they are offered results oriented education to better position them in maintaining and strengthening the nation’s prevailing peace and security.

The education of students on peace building, conflict prevention and resolution will equip them with the requisite skills and knowledge to initiate and carry out innovative Advocacy programs on peace building and conflict transformation that are able to raise the needed awareness on the effects of conflicts and the importance of peace for national growth and development.

The engagement of the youth in these advocacy programs will also serve as a platform for them to develop careers in various fields of peace building and conflict transformation; thereby enriching the human resource capacity of the nation to sustain its peace and manage the insurgence of conflicts and instability.

As an aggregate effect of the education that students will receive on peace building and conflict transformation, the youth of Ghana will be less motivated in being used to perpetuate conflicts. The disengagement of the youth from all forms of conflicts will ensure that their ingenuity, energy and talents are better channeled in strengthening efforts towards propelling national development.

The youth manifesto of Ghana therefore advocates for the commitment by all unsandry to the strengthening of the nation’s peace and security for sustainable national development.