Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has called on the youth in the country to look beyond their party affiliations in ensuring good leadership for the country.

"I want you to see beyond your immediate party connections and look at the long-term well being of the country," he said, when delivering his key note address at the opening of a three-day workshop for the youth on election 2012.

Themed, "Towards a Peaceful 2012 General Elections in Ghana," the workshop is being attended by young people from tertiary institutions across the country.

Former President Kufuor said whilst the country was richly blessed with raw materials, "what seems to be lacking is the leadership that would make use of all our natural resources".

He said growth in GDP which was often announced as proof of a ruling government's competence, hardly reflected in any improvement in the well-being of the governed.

"Election 2012 is critical because Ghana has all it takes to move forward," he said, adding that the right choice of a leader was going to make all the difference.

The former President urged political parties to abide by the provisions of the constitution and accept the results of the election, the moment they were confirmed by the Electoral Commission.

The workshop is a collaboration between the Kufuor Foundation and the International Republican Institute.