Don’t give in to negative influence –Tepa youth urges youth

Nana Adusei Atwerewaah Ampem, paramount chief of the Tepa traditional area, has appealed to the youth not to give in to negative influences by politicians to commit violence during the elections.

He said the youth should be made to understand that politics was not about war but an expression of varied views on the way the country should be governed as well as various decisions needed to improve the living conditions of the people.

Speaking at a workshop on conflict resolution and peace ahead of the December 07, elections at Tepa, Nana Atwerewaah Ampem, appealed to the youth to lead the crusade for peace in their communities.

The workshop was organized by the National Peace Council (NPC) in collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat, to enlighten the youth in the area on the prevention of conflicts before, during, and after the elections.

Nana Atwerewaah Ampem urged the youth to abstain from all forms of acts that could lead to conflicts in their communities.

Reverend Emmanuel Badu Amoah, Ashanti Regional Executive Secretary of the National Peace Council, said the workshop was organized to engage the youth on conflict prevention, vigilantism and help manage and sustain the peace in the country before, during, and after the December 07 elections.

He said peace could be achieved only when there was a peaceful dialogue between individuals of different opinions and the tolerance of individual differences at all times.

Rev. Amoah stressed the need for the youth who usually became the actors and victims of electoral violence and conflicts to change their attitude and lead the crusade to become ambassadors for peace.

He appealed to the youth to be tolerant and co-exist peacefully with one another to help sustain the peace in the country.

Professor Luis G. Franceschi, Senior Director, Governance and Peace Directorate at the Commonwealth Secretariat, said peace could be established only when there was a cordial relationship among the people.

He said Ghana was a peaceful country and there was the need for the youth to engage themselves in activities that would help sustain peace in the country.

Prof. Franceschi, added that a peace campaign should be developed and sustained in the various communities before, during, and after the elections to promote understanding, tolerance, dialogue, and reconciliation.