The Youth, Peace, and Security Agenda holds particular importance in the Ghanaian context due to its large youth population and security issues. According to the 2021 Population and Housing Census, the youth (15-35 years) accounts for 38.2% of the population. In 2021, the youth unemployment rate in Ghana reached an all-time high of 13.4%, almost triple the 5.3% recorded in 2010. The 2015 Labour Force Report estimates that 40% of Ghanaian youth have no education, and only 3.8% have attained a tertiary education qualification. This trend is more pronounced in rural areas, where 57% of youth have no education compared to 26.3% in urban areas.

The combination of high unemployment, low educational levels, and emerging terrorism and violent extremism in West Africa, along with local grievances, pose a significant threat to national security. According to the Peace and Development Analysis by UNDP Ghana (2022), youth unemployment and local vigilantism are key drivers of conflict. The unemployed youth are at risk of being exploited to join violent extremist groups, piracy, illegal mining (galamsey), armed robbery, or political violence. There is also a correlation between youth, vigilantism, and a culture of violence and aggression.

This paper aims to explore the status of Ghanaian youth in relation to the YPS Agenda, their involvement, available opportunities, challenges, and recommendations.

Youth, Peace, and Security in Ghana- youth involvement

Youth engagement in Ghana’s peace and security sphere can be classified into the work of civil society and government authorities. To begin with, the government of Ghana’s commitment to the YPS Agenda is well addressed in its National Security Strategy (2020).

Reassuring its commitment to the implementation of the UNSCR 2250, the government puts forward several policy measures to harness the potential of Ghanaian youth for socio-economic development as well as to enhance the contribution of youth to national peace and security.

The National Framework for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism and Terrorism in Ghana (2019) published by the Ministry of National Security also illustrates the importance of youth in peace and security sphere of Ghana. Outlining youth as a major stakeholder, the document sets forth various measures that different government departments, CSOs, religious and traditional leaders, and the media can take to prevent youth radicalization. Specifically, in the prevent pillar, the document emphasizes the necessity to halt the radicalization of the youth and vulnerable by making continuous efforts to tackle governance challenges that build conditions for them to engage in violent extremism and terrorist activities.

The National Peace Council (NPC) and  the Regional Peace Councils have been  essential government authorities in  promoting youth engagement in peace  and security. In recent years, they have  undertaken conscious efforts to engage  youth in conflict resolution as well as peacebuilding processes and  mechanisms. In 2019, NPC organized  nationwide advocacy campaign  workshops on the vigilantism and related  offenses act adopted in August 2019.  Targeting youth groups and disbanded  political vigilante groups, the workshop  advocated the eradication of violent  political vigilantism to sustain peace prior  to and post-elections.

The government of Ghana recognized the critical role of youth in peacebuilding through its National Youth Policy (2010) and its latest 10-year National Youth Policy (2022-2032). The NYA emphasized the need to involve youth in national issues, including conflict resolution and peacebuilding. Objective 4 of the policy aims to strengthen youth participation in governance, community development, and decision-making, as well as enhance their civic responsibility. NYA seeks to make youth an integral part of conflict resolution efforts by incorporating conflict prevention, dispute resolution, and peacebuilding into education programs.

Before the 2020 general elections, the NYA and youth from various regions developed a Youth Peace Charter to promote peace. The youth parliament has also provided a platform for young people to engage in decision-making, including peacebuilding. Youth groups have been involved in conflict prevention, political activism, voter mobilization, and the prevention of electoral violence. Several CSOs, including ActionAid Ghana’s Activista and WANEP’s youth in peacebuilding, promote youth participation in peacebuilding.

Youth-led organizations, such as Youth Advocates Ghana (YAG), have facilitated youth participation in the implementation of SDGs, including peacebuilding. For example, Young Peace Brigades (YPB) has engaged stakeholders to resolve disputes in the Obuasi area. UNDP in Ghana has made deliberate efforts to ensure youth are a key stakeholder in promoting peace and preventing violence, reflected in its new 2023-2027 program, which promotes the inclusion of youth and women in peacebuilding processes.

Challenges and Opportunities

Challenges:

Despite past involvement, several challenges hinder youth engagement in Ghana’s peace and security. The potential of youth in peacebuilding and conflict prevention remains underutilized, and Ghana has not adopted a National Action Plan (NAP) for addressing UNSCR 2250. While GHANAP 2 (2020) addresses women’s engagement, the lack of a specific NAP for youth remains an issue.

The National Peace Council Act 818 (2011) does not include provisions for youth representation in councils and peacebuilding efforts. Without formal legislation, youth involvement in peace and security remains limited and ad hoc.

Additionally, youth face challenges in decision-making, including age discrimination, lack of resources, and limited participation in leadership. Only 4.75% (2016) and 4.4% (2020) of parliamentarians were youth when entering office. Despite discussing political matters, youth are less likely to attend community meetings or engage with political leaders. This under-representation needs addressing, given that 38.2% of the population is youth.

Moreover, government interventions often focus on urban youth, leaving rural youth marginalized, especially those in border communities or local vigilante groups, who face significant security threats.

Another issue is the involvement of youth in electoral violence. According to the Electoral Violence and Political Vigilantism in Ghana report (2020), unemployed youth are often used by political parties to commit violence in exchange for promises of jobs. Youth wings in many parties engage in aggressive political activities such as vandalizing public property, militias/vigilantism, and electoral violence, including ballot box snatching and defacing posters. A recent example is the violent disturbances at the NDC’s National Youth and Women’s Organizer Elections in December 2022, resulting in property damage and injuries.

Youth are also involved in post-election violence, such as seizing public facilities and removing perceived opposition officials, like the NPP-affiliated youth seizing public institutions in Tamale in January 2017. This behavior hampers the recognition of youth as peace agents and their integration into formal peace efforts.

Lastly, limited research and data on youth involvement in peacebuilding and conflict prevention across Ghana hinders effective planning to address these issues comprehensively.

Opportunities

• The adoption and effective implementation of the National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325 (GHANAP II) provides a valuable opportunity for young women to engage in the peace and security architecture of the country. Formally adopted in March 2020, GHANAP II aims to enhance the participation and representation of women in the decision-making and peace procedures at all levels through measures including capacity building and strengthening the advocacy for the implementation of legislation and policies.
• The incorporation of youth in conflict resolution and peacebuilding as one of the key strategies to attain its objective in the latest National Youth Policy (2022-2032). Compared to the previous policy, the latest National Youth Policy acknowledges and places greater emphasis on the crucial role that youth can play in reinforcing the peace and security of the country.
• Various Civil Society Organizations and youth groups working on the YPS agenda. There are various civil society organizations and youth groups in Ghana working on the area of youth, peace, and security through activities including peace education and peer mediation, youth empowerment programs, dialogues, and initiatives. Such efforts in the civil society sphere present valuable opportunity for youth to foster youth-led and youth- based peace networks, as well as engage in alternative livelihood opportunities that prevents them from the threats of radicalization towards violent extremism.