Ghana is taking a significant step toward strengthening youth participation in peacebuilding and national development with the ongoing development of its first National Action Plan (NAP) on Youth, Peace and Security (YPS).
Noting with concern, the marginalisation of young people in policy development and recognising the relevance of meaningful youth participation in peace and security in Ghana, YBF is an active member of the multi-stakeholder Technical Working Group (TWG) driving the development of the NAP on YPS comprising state and non-state actors. The process is led by the National Youth Authority in collaboration with the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC).
As part of efforts to ensure the plan reflects the lived realities and aspirations of young people across the country, a series of regional consultations is currently underway. These engagements are designed to gather input from youth, civil society actors, and local stakeholders on critical peace and security issues affecting their communities.
Earlier consultations, funded by UNFPA and UNDP have been held across several regions of the country. These include: Four(4) regional level multi-stakeholder consultations in the Upper West, Upper East, Savannah and Northern Region and nine(9) regional youth only consultations in Greater Accra, Oti, Volta, Eastern, North East, Upper West, Upper East, Savannah, and Northern Region.
This week, the TWG will engage young people and stakeholders in the Central Region (Cape Coast) and Western Region (Takoradi), creating platforms for dialogue on youth inclusion, conflict prevention, and community resilience. The consultations will continue next week in Western-North (Sefwi Wiawso) and in the Ashanti Region (Kumasi), expanding the reach of the process to capture diverse regional perspectives.
These consultations are being conducted with funding support from the ECOWAS in Peace, Security and Governance Project, co-funded by the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry of Development and Economic Cooperation (BMZ) and jointly implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), Expertise France (EF) and the Fundación para la Internacionalización de las Administraciones Públicas (FIAP) in partnership with ECOWAS.
In addition to grassroots consultations, the process includes targeted stakeholder dialogues with experts and practitioners in governance, security, and youth development. These discussions are expected to strengthen the technical foundation of the NAP and align it with both national priorities and global frameworks, including the United Nations Youth, Peace and Security agenda.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250, adopted in 2015, formally recognized youth not as threats to peace but as essential partners in building and sustaining it. Ghana’s development of a NAP on YPS signals the country’s commitment to translating that global agenda into concrete national policy.
The National Action Plan, once finalized, will serve as a strategic framework to guide policies and programs that empower young people as active agents of peace and security in Ghana.
Stakeholders are optimistic that the inclusive approach being adopted will result in a responsive and impactful plan that amplifies youth voices and fosters sustainable peace across the country.
YBF is confident that this inclusive approach will play a key role in driving a youth inclusive and responsive agenda towards dealing with youth peace and security.