Whereas Ghana marks 2023 as thirty (30) years of constitutional rule under this Forth Republic, 30 years is a generational span of every leader. If you look at definition of youth according to the National Youth Authority Act, 2016 (Act 939), 15-35 years is the definition of youth. We have for the first time in our history a greater concentration of 57% and above of the population of that age group. There is a transition of political leadership, technocratic leadership awaiting. It seems to me that our country is not prepared for it. And the frustration of the youth in the abyss of our current gerontocratic leadership could cause our democracy.
So, I would wish government and stakeholders begin to look at proposals to strengthen the implementation of the National Youth Policy. The democratic system of Ghana is good, it is 30 years. But we are moving into the 2nd generational span in the next 30 years, and spaces have to be created for the youth.
Constitutional Amendment
People talk about constitutional reforms, I endorse; but I think some of the critical issues now is where unemployed graduates will find jobs, who will be responsive for their needs and those of others. Public service deliveries are not going on because the institutions are weak, and they have been weakened by the kind of politics we played in the last 30 years.
And I think administration of good governance that is needed will constitute the kind of social contract for the institutions that ought to be reformed and the agenda that ought to be pursued. The youth of today, whether employed or unemployed constitute the most educated group in our system. They can’t go to Europe as they used to. They can’t go to the US. The youth are speaking a language if you put in time perspective, they are leaders in waiting and frustrated.
So, what should we do? I think that yes, much as we have two years to go for elections and that is always what push us into various directions, we should prioritize the kind of reforms that if undertook would inject the changes that are needed to give this new generation hope, leading institutions and learning to find jobs in their districts and wherever they find themselves. And I believe strongly that we are able to do that.
We have had constitutional reforms proposals on the table since 2010, i.e., CRC, CRIC, white paper and so on. But we have had additional proposals from the current government. And the Constitution itself says that for any change whether it is entrenched or non-entrenched we should build a durable consensus. It means that everybody must come together.
In fact, the thresholds are interesting: 40% of registered eligible and 75% of them should vote. It means that no one party can undertake the kind of reforms we need. Rather, it would largely involve the youth. And so, building consensus to address the needs of the country in view of implementing the recommendations for the review of the 1992 Constitution, it is not only those probably phasing out, but it is imperatively a youth agenda.
If you go to parliament, the Constitution tells us that two-third of the full membership of parliament ought to approve proposals for which articles of the Constitution ought to be amended, e.g., article 243(1) of the Constitution. And I think we are delaying. I will say that as a Ghanaian youth, it is feasible to have major changes done in the next two years – even before the elections. Our leaders must come together to make the necessary amendments for the sake of Ghana and the next generation.
Economy
According to the Annual Household and Expenditure Survey (AHEIS), about 1.74 million (13.4 per cent) of the total working population of 13 million in the age bracket of 15 years and above in the first quarter of 2022 were unemployed. Unemployment is the major problem of the youth.
While countries are admirably recovering from the effects of COVID-19 and are putting in place sustainable economic measures and responsive structures to rebuild their economies, the government of the day in Ghana keeps patting itself at the back for the evidently mismanaged and debt-choked economy which has escalated the growing levels of inequality. Even though we must acknowledge some intentions of government in an effort aimed at revitalizing the economy, these intentions with the past serving as a guide may only remain a paper tiger.
The private sector has the impetus to reduce the unemployment rate but it has been weakened by the saddling economy.
Ghana’s debt to GDP has reached unsustainable and worrying levels, revenue to debt ratio and cost of servicing our ballooning debt for example is a cause to worry for majority of Ghanaians but, sadly not for our government. We have to draw the attention of government that economic policies and economic initiatives instituted by government are failing to translate into improving the welfare of the youth. A working and flourishing economy that is spurring economic growth and prudently being managed as we are made to believe will not offer public sector workers a paltry 4% increment in their salary as against the rising cost of living. The economic reality on the ground is, many of my fellow youth are struggling to survive.
Governance
The efficiency in managing the machinery of state does not lie in the use of a large force of ministers, some of whom have poorly defined job descriptions. We should however acknowledge the marginal decline in the size of government as a result of the reduction in the number of ministers. This will surely save some money for the state.
Governance and development are hitting a snag as a result of excessive borrowing and profligacy despite the defense and continual denial by government that development is not being affected. We should call on government to treat with a sense of urgency to give life to our economic system and make it properly function and responsive in addressing the needs of local people. Much is yet to be seen in terms of development after the creation of the new regions. As against the promise given by government to expeditiously bring development to these newly created regions, the conditions of the people have remained the same and, in some cases, worsened.
It is worrying to know that many infrastructural projects inherited by the government in the newly created regions have been abandoned and left to rot. Government must be empathic to the suffering of Ghanaians living in these regions who need these projects completed to improve their livelihoods, but not the making of perfunctory statements and promises.
Corruption
Available statistics indicates that this government, under President Akufo Addo, has recorded the worse performance on the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) in six years. And the recent Afrobarometer Report indicates that 80% of Ghanaians believe the Office of the Presidency is corruption. Indeed, this is in view of the accusation made by Mr. Martin Amidu, the former Special Prosecutor who famously stated that “Akufo Addo is the mother serpent of corruption”, Mr. Martin Amidu adds that “the only regret he has in life is to have trusted President Akufo Addo in such sheepish manner as to have allowed him to have conned him into agreeing to be his Special Prosecutor in a naïve but sincere belief on my part that he was intent on fighting corruption.” And this is aided by the President’s recent statement to deny Akonta Mining of engaging illegal mining which is pending an investigation by the Special Prosecutor.
There is no doubt that corruption has existed in past governments. But government must begin to take steps to bring hope to Ghanaians. The youth are living What is happening now is that Diplomats and Ambassadors of foreign states have a cause to worry about the endemic nature of corruption by making open statements. For instance, to our utter dismay, rather than protecting the public purse, the Auditor General report indicates that government is using COVID-19 as an avenue to loot the public purse. The conduct of the Health Minister in the contract of sale of the Sputnik-V vaccines further weakened the integrity of this government to the lowest level.
Crime and insecurity
The increase in sophisticated crime, its occurrence and the pace at which it happens deserves a holistic and combative approach in addressing. There is a general state of insecurity in the country with the increasing involvement of the youth in robbery cases, murder, and rape and ritual killings. The desire to live affluent lifestyle and the neglect of government to the plights of the youth, unemployment, corruption, and the decrease in morale of our men and women in our various security institutions are contributing to the rise of crime in the country. Government should be concerned about this growing phenomenon and help provide a lasting solution rather than always engaging in petty politicking.
Electoral reforms
The conduct of the 2020 elections were fraught with some challenges. The death toll of the 8 youth is awful. To consolidate our electoral and democratic credentials as a country and improve future elections, it is important that the challenges identified are holistically addressed by the Electoral Commission, political parties and other stakeholders. The independence of the EC does not imply absolute influence and control over actions as an election management body to somewhat violate the rule of law. As the two leading political parties in Ghana, it will be of good interest for the NPP to sit with the NDC on a roundtable to discuss these reforms with the EC rather than trying to rebuff the proposed reforms.
Conclusion
30 years of constitutional rule under this Fourth Republic is a remarkable achievement. I want to believe that Ghana will continue to be the beacon of democracy and good governance by recalling the lessons from our history that it is youth that led various turning points in our sociopolitical development. We should stand by the youth to bring progress to our society. It is only through this that Ghana can be a better society for all of us and subsequent generations.
Author:
Michael Sumaila Nlasia
[email protected]
Professional Law Student
