The National Youth Authority (NYA) on Wednesday held a Parliamentary Youth Mock session in Tamale to commemorate International Youth Day.

The event was celebrated under the theme: “Transforming Education; the role of the Youth in contributing to Quality Education in Ghana".

The ceremony brought together some stakeholders including youth groups and various youth parliamentary representatives from selected districts in the Northern Region.

Mr Eric Gyan Ansah, Northern Regional Youth Director of the NYA, said the theme for this year’s celebration highlights efforts being made to make education more inclusive and accessible to the youth as part of efforts to meet Goal Four of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

He said NYA, as part of its role in promoting good governance and civic responsibility, was forming Youth Mock Parliaments in all the districts in the region to inculcate in the youth a sense of patriotism as well as enable them to appreciate the decision-making process and how these decisions could affect them.

This, he said, would help empower the youth to effectively participate in the National Development Agenda of the country.

Mr Ansah urged the private sector, CSOs and academic institutions to welcome young people into their fold and strengthen the partnership with youth-led and youth-focused initiatives.

He urged the youth to take advantage of opportunities available to them to empower themselves and build a peaceful region that would bring more development and investment.

Alhaji Mohammed Seidu Issah Abah, Deputy Northern Regional Director of Education, said it was important for government and other stakeholders to adopt and implement the right education to nurture the youth to contribute meaningfully to the society.

He urged the youth to take up vocational and technical skills to create jobs for themselves adding that they should not place all their hopes on government to create jobs for them.

Alhaji Abah also advised the youth to avoid being used to foment trouble in the society as this would retard the peace and development effort of the entire region.

Mr Salifu Saeed, the Northern Regional Minister, said government has the interest of the youth at heart and has put in place the necessary mechanisms to ensure that they contribute positively to the development of their various communities.

He said government would continue in its efforts to implement meaningful initiatives such as the free Senior High School policy, to improve the quality of education in the country.

Mr Salifu called on parents to take advantage of the free SHS policy and urged them to motivate their children to attend to the demands of their academic work.

Mock parliamentary proceedings and debates were held to mark the International Youth Day.