Accra, June 9, GNA-Mr Clement K. Humado, Minister of Youth and Sports, on Thursday launched the Strategic Future Leaders Forum in Parliament House calling on the youth to be expansive in their ideas about leadership roles.

He asked them to avoid tokenism, think outside the box, match gifts and passions with needs and opportunities and take every opportunity to affirm that young people are needed and capable.

Mr Humado said Parliament and the Ministry have been collaborating to undertake programmes on developing the youth.

According to him, such efforts have culminated in the establishment of Youth Parliaments in tertiary institutions and Youth clubs in some second cycle schools.

He said Parliament through the National Youth Authority was preparing a youth governance mechanism that would involve the National Youth Authority, the Parliament of Ghana and registered youth groups with the hope of entrenching the policy nationwide.

He said the National Youth Parliament would be housed in the old Parliament building and its modalities will soon be made public.

Mr Humado also noted that the government believed that an empowered youth would impact positively on National Development for the realisation of the Better Ghana Agenda.

Mr Mike Oquaye, Second Deputy Speaker, said Parliament would continue to partner policy formulation experts in the country to craft policies and programmes that directly affect the youth.

He urged the youth to hold debates sessions and discuss matters of national interest including, the challenges of oil and gas discovery, the environment, youth policy and employment, technical education for national development, street children, homosexuality and lesbianism, the morals of the youth, science and national development and law and order in a developing nation.

He said the topics will enhance the parameters of the youth and push Parliament and government to respond to an agenda set by the youth.