Accra Aug. 7, GNA - Mr Rashid Bawa, Minister of State, Education, Youth and Sports, on Thursday said Ghana, for the first time in many years would celebrate the World Youth Day on August 12.

He said Ghana is celebrating the Day this year because the government had realized that the youth of today were faced with a lot of serious challenges, such as the HIV/AIDS pandemic among other things. The Minister told the GNA about the challenges facing the Ghanaian youth and said the Ministry "wants the youth to be part of the development process".

Mr Bawa said among the activities lined up for the celebration is the organization of a Youth Parliament to discuss their participation in development and the challenges they faced. He said the activities would be climaxed with a lecture by the Vice-President Alhaji Aliu Mahama on: "Maximizing Youth Potential for Development: Prospects and Challenges." 07 Aug. 03