The West Africa Network for Peace Building (WANEP) has organized a training workshop for political party youth as part of efforts to ensure peaceful elections in December.
The participants drawn from the Brong Ahafo region and the three Northern Regions are expected to go through basic community conflict management as a means of enhancing their capacity in conflict handling mechanisms.
It is under the theme “building party youth capacity For Peace In 2012”. Speaking at the raining workshop, the National Coordinator of WANEP, Justin Bayor said the programme which is part of its youth in election project comes after research findings had figured the youth as being responsible for election violence.
He said the research also identified some hot spots in election violence which WANEP is working to prevent. He mentioned some of the hot spots as Tamale Bawku Yendi and Buipe as potential places of violence.
Mr. Bayor said the research done in collaboration with The University For development Studies was sponsored by the United nations.The Deputy Northern Regional Minister, San Nasamu Asabigi advised the youth to desist from violence.
He said the youth are often the culprits in election violence yet they are those who suffer the most when violence occurs. He asked them to channel their energies into useful ventures.
A peace promoter Reverend father Thaddeus Kuusawho spopke to Zaa news on the sidelines advised the youth to invest their energies in formal education or acquire some other training in order to fend for themselves.
He said the situation where the youth source of livelihood is dependent on politicians is dangerous since the unemployed youth are likely to be used for negative reasons.
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