WA, July 17, GNA – Speakers at a launch of a youth magazine at Wa in the Upper West Region, have observed that politicians and the media have done very little to project their development.

They said political parties and politicians often used the youth as their “foot soldiers” and forget about them (youth) after achieving their ambitions or attaining political power.

In addition, the speakers said the media had given marginal coverage to youth programmes although they formed the most active segment of the population.

The magazine named “Youth Alive”, would be published monthly by the Abusua Foundation, a local NGO and funded by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa.

The publication is said to be the first of its kind in the country to foster independent thought and skill development among the youth of Ghana.

Mr Simon Eyram Tsike-Sossah, Executive Director of the Abusua Foundation said past and present government had made several pronouncements about the need to implement a youth policy but nothing had been done.

He regretted that programmes like the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND) which were mooted by the youth were being implemented without any major input from them while international conferences designed mainly for the youth were attended by the elderly.

“International conferences organised abroad for the youth are attended by 64 year olds in this country while in other countries they send 17 year olds”.

He said Youth Alive was an initiative that had the broad goal of widening the political and social space in which Ghanaian youth would be permitted to actively engage in discourses on diverse subjects.

Mr Mumuni Sulemana, Upper West Regional Youth Coordinator said unless the youth themselves confronted the challenges facing them they would continue to be used by politicians and “dumped” after elections.

He regretted that not many youth knew that there were offices coordinating youth activities in the regions and districts and they had never bothered to know about their existence.

Ms Ariane Malawski, Programme Coordinator of Abusua Foundation said the youth were an under-represented group in Ghana and her organization felt it was necessary to give them an outlet to express themselves.

GNA