The 2026 Ho Zonal Active Citizenship and Accountability Dialogues (AAACD) concluded with a resounding call for policies that empower Ghanaian youth to become proactive drivers of national development and industrialisation.
Organised by the STAR-Ghana Foundation in partnership with the Ho-based Global Action for Women Empowerment (GLOWA), the event brought together chiefs, queen mothers, youth leaders, and political party representatives under the theme: “Beyond Partisanship: Youth, Active Citizenship, and Ghana’s Democratic Future.”
In his keynote address, Dr. Harrison Kofi Belley, Governance Lecturer at Ho Technical University, highlighted that Ghana’s youth are at a historic crossroads: they can either remain passive observers of societal challenges or step up as engaged citizens shaping the country’s destiny.
“Active citizenship goes beyond being a legal member of a state. It is a living bond of rights and responsibilities demanding participation, accountability, and service,” Dr. Belley said. He encouraged youth to engage in community service, volunteerism, and activism to address pressing issues, particularly in education, skills development, and civic engagement.
Dr. Belley also paid tribute to the late democracy advocate Anthony Akoto Ampaw, noting that his legacy of collaboration and civic activism demonstrated that ordinary citizens could drive extraordinary change. “Pulling people along, even when they resist, is the essence of civic struggle,” he said.
The lecturer lamented the decline of patriotism, communal labor, and volunteerism, warning that youth activism has increasingly been reduced to partisan slogans while the needs of farmers, artisans, and traders remain unmet. He urged young people to demand transparency, accountability, and community-focused solutions rather than seeking personalised favors.
Madam Eunice Agbenyadzi, Head of Programmes at STAR-Ghana Foundation, said the dialogue aimed to create an inclusive platform for discussing youth participation, civic responsibility, and democratic governance in a politically polarised environment. She stressed that youth must embrace non-partisan, values-driven activism to strengthen Ghana’s democracy.
During the panel discussion, Mr. Mawulorm Kwame Klutse, Founder of the Volta Business Consortium, urged citizens to lead by example, saying civic activism should transcend political ideologies for the greater national interest.
Assembly Member Ms. Edith Allan Ablormeti called for increased government support for the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) to engage more youth in active citizenship, noting that partisan politics undermines reasoning and development.
Ms. Patrice Robertson, Executive Director of Eclectic Love, highlighted the potential of social media in reaching young people, urging the NCCE to leverage digital platforms to promote civic education and nation-building initiatives.
The dialogues concluded with a strong message: Ghana’s youth, armed with education, skills, and civic awareness, hold the key to driving social justice, economic growth, and democratic accountability. The challenge, participants agreed, is for young Ghanaians to choose service and sacrifice over slogans and partisanship.
