News
Youth urged to play active role in local governance
Participants at the workshop
The Executive Director of the Mother of All Nations Foundation, Mr Ishaq Abubakar Zico Newman, has called on the youth to play a more active role in local governance, stressing the importance of their participation in shaping the nation’s future.
He said “local governance is where our voice can have the most immediate impact. When we understand how our local assemblies work then we can have the power to effect change at the grassroots level.”
Mr Newman said this in Accra last Thursday at a Community-Based Civic Engagement Training.
The training was aimed at whipping the interest of the youth to influence the future of their communities and the country at large.
It was organised in collaboration with the Center for Democratic Development (CDD) Ghana and brought together youth from various communities to learn how to effectively participate in governance and influence policies.
According to Mr Newman the youth represents over 38 per cent of the population, with many of them not involved in crucial democratic processes such as voting and local governance.
Participants were encouraged to leverage social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok to raise awareness on governance issues and demand accountability from local and national leaders.
He said social media serves as a powerful tool for amplifying community concerns, noting that even a single post can spark conversations and drive action on issues like education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
Mr Zico Newman stressed that “real change often starts at the grassroots level, where youth participation can have an immediate impact. Young people are the backbone of our nation’s development. When we participate in governance, we have the power to shape policies, hold leaders accountable, and demand the change we want to see.”
A Research Fellow at Local Government, Dr Charity Dzradosi, explained that local government was crucial for fostering development and ensuring democratic processes that benefit all citizens.
“Local governance brings government closer to the people and ensures that essential public services are delivered to residents in real time,” she stated.
She urged communities to support their Assembly Members rather than overburden them with issues.
“Assembly Members are vital in ensuring that development reaches every corner of our localities, but they can only succeed with the support and engagement of the people they represent,”Dr Dzradosi stressed.
A communication expert from CDD, Mr Daniel K. Selormey, on his part urged community leaders to harness the power of social media for effective local advocacy and highlighted how digital platforms can significantly enhance local governance and community engagement.
By Jemima Esinam Kuatsinu
News
Ghana-Colombia strengthens ties through diplomatic engagement
In an important diplomatic engagement, the Colombian Ambassador to Ghana H.E. Daniel Garces Carabali paid a courtesy call on the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, at his office in Accra to discuss some key areas of collaboration.
The meeting focused on pressing issues, including security, decongestion of Ghana’s prisons, prison reform programmes, training programmes, improving the welfare of prisoners and enhancing disaster management in the country.
The courtesy call underscores the growing bilateral ties between Ghana and Colombia, building on previous engagements, such as the visit of the Colombian Vice President to Ghana in 2023.
The meeting demonstrates the commitment of both nations to fostering cooperation and addressing shared challenges.
News
Ghana to host African Catholic Journalists from August 10
The Union Catholique Africaine de la Presse (UCAP), also known as the African Catholic Union of the Press, in collaboration with the Catholic Association of Media Practitioners-Ghana (CAMP-G), is set to host its prestigious Triennial Congress from August 10 to 17 August, 2025.
The programme would be held at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Legon, Accra, Ghana.
This landmark event, the most significant gathering of Catholic journalists in Africa, will bring together media professionals, researchers, and experts in digital technology from across the continent and beyond.
The theme for the Congress is: “Balancing Technological Progress and the Preservation of Human Values in the Age of Artificial Intelligence.”
Congress Highlights
The UCAP Congress 2025 will feature discussions and deliberations on critical issues arising from or related to integral human development, particularly within the framework of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Some of the key sub-themes to be addressed include:Corporate Social Responsibility in Managing the Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Human Values, Deploying AI in Eco-friendly Business Start-ups in Africa: Opportunities and Challenges, Technology and the Reprogramming of Social Reality, Distortion of Reality in Social and Digital Media, Ecological Education and Action Against Unsustainable Exploitation of Natural Resources, and Media and the Promotion of the Recommendations of the Synod on Synodality in Africa.
Participants will include media professionals from both ecclesiastical and lay organisations, media researchers and academics, representatives from the Vatican, government agencies, NGOs, civil society, and the digital technology sector.
Objectives of the Congress
The primary goal of this Congress is to strengthen the capacities of media professionals and educate the public on the necessity of preserving human values amid rapid technological progress. Specific objectives include; Training 100 media practitioners in Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies, with a focus on balancing innovation and human values.
This will include promoting ethics and bioethics in technical research and technological innovations through media.
Advocating for human values such as respect for life, human dignity, charity, solidarity, and human rights and assessing the impact of technological progress to better understand the challenges, risks, and opportunities presented by AI will be part of the objectives.
UCAP is a continental organisation dedicated to promoting communication within the Catholic Church and its partners in Africa. With a mission to foster spiritual growth, collaboration, and responsible journalism, UCAP works to spread the Gospel, uphold human values, and support developmental initiatives across Africa and beyond.
UCAP is an independent, autonomous, non-political, and non-profit organisation comprising African Catholic journalists, communicators, academics, researchers, and institutions in various media fields.
