The Upper West Regional Peace Council has, in commemoration of the 2024 International Youth Day, held a peace walk to promote unity and peaceful co-existence in the Upper West Region.

The walk, which had many young people in attendance, saw the Peace Council and the young people walk through some of the principal streets of Wa.

The participants were seen holding placards, some of which read: “Let’s Listen to What the Youth Have to Say.” “Youth: The Torchbearers of Progress,” “Youth: The drivers of Positive Change,” among others.

The peace rally, held under the theme “International Youth Day: Mobilizing Youth to Prevent Violent Extremism,” was climaxed with a peace rally where various speakers took turns to address the youth on the theme and the need for peaceful co-existence.

Prof. Samuel Marfo, a member of the Upper West Regional Peace Council, speaking at the rally, underscored the crucial role of youth in combating hate speech, disinformation, and misinformation, which includes rejecting false narratives and actively promoting factual and constructive dialogue.

He said the perpetuation of hate speech on the basis of ethnicity, religion, and political beliefs poses a serious threat to social cohesion within society, saying that hate speech can deepen divisions and sow discord that undermines peaceful coexistence in a culturally pluralistic society like Ghana.

“Hate speech, targeting individuals or groups based on ethnicity, religion, or political beliefs, poses a serious threat to our social cohesion,” Prof. Marfo said.

He said that even though freedoms of opinion and expression are rights enshrined in the Ghanaian Constitution, the use of those freedoms to belittle, dehumanize, or incite violence undermines the very essence of democracy.

Prof. Marfo said online hate speech can significantly increase the likelihood of real-world violence and crime and thus cautioned the youth to be wary of the words they use on social media, as he said those words can have far-reaching consequences.

The Speaker of the Upper West Regional Youth Parliament, James Baba Anabiga, speaking to Info Radio at the sidelines of the event, called on the youth to not allow themselves to be used to foment electoral violence and political unrest.

He expressed concerns about the machinations of politicians, who mostly cause the youth to go impoverished and hungry but always turn around to entice them with gifts and lure them into putting their lives on the line for their victory during election periods.

He said the youth should not play gullible and susceptible to cheap political guiles in this electioneering period where politicians try to pay lip service and appeal to the vulnerabilities of young people just to gain their votes.

He urged the youth to critically evaluate the policies of the various political parties and make rightful decisions without waiting to be incentivized to vote for any individual or party that does not represent the development aspirations of the youth.

Hellen Sunmanbo Bagonluri, a member of the Peace Council, also admonished them to stay away from electoral violence and embrace peace as the elections draw close.

“I would also appeal to the youth here to stand on their feet, say no to violence, and embrace peace as elections draw near. We must not allow ourselves to be used anyhow by any group or individual in attaining their goals at the expense of the peace we enjoy today."

“This is not by any means discouraging the youth from participating in social activities but rather a caution to echo the need for youth to be promoters of peace. If the youth of today embrace peace and inculcate it into their dealings, then we would be rest assured of a brighter future,” she said.

The peace walk formed part of the “Atlantic Corridor Project: Preventing and Responding to Violent Extremism” and was supported by the Danish Embassy, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the German Development Organization (GIZ).