Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has called on Ghana’s youth to actively participate in the December elections to foster the nation’s development and progress.
Addressing attendees at the launch of the Kufuor Scholars Foundation, a voter campaign dedicated to enhancing youth engagement in the upcoming polls, Kufuor stressed the pivotal role of young people in shaping Ghana’s future.
He urged the youth to see themselves as king-makers in the electoral process, highlighting the significant impact their involvement can have on the country’s trajectory.
“Ghana alone has about 30 million citizens and with your learning and mature brain power throughout our societies, if you would do what you should do as responsible citizens to try to give the nation good leadership, inclusive leadership, if you would do that, then I tell you, within a few years you will see Ghana turning around to really be coming up, to be emulated on the continent of Africa to better the lot of humanity.”
In the 2020 elections, over 17 million Ghanaians of voting age registered to vote but only 13 million people turned up to vote.
Concerns of voter apathy, economic hardship and bad governance are emerging as reasons why these individuals may have failed to vote.
The situation is more critical in the upcoming December 7 election, as a survey conducted by the Kufuor Scholars Foundation on voter interest revealed that, 43 percent of every 1,000 Ghanaians plan not to vote.
Given the urgency, the Kufuor Scholars Programme under the John Agyekum Kufuor Foundation has partnered with the National Commission for Civic Education to launch a voter campaign exercise aimed at heightening education and awareness on voting during elections.
The former President speaking at the event added “Having over 70% of the youth population means that, you will be unstoppable if you become committed to doing what is right.”
Several personalities attended the launch including Prof Agyemang Baffuor Duah, CEO of JAK Foundation; H.E. Harriet Thompson, British High Commissioner to Ghana; Dr Pascal Brenya, KSP Coordinator; Nana Ama Oppong Duah, Policy Advisor at the JAK Foundation; and Irene Horsham (Esq), Rector, Mountcrest University.
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