Youth Inclusion in the Governance of Ghana's Natural Resources and Environmental Sector

In recent times, the issue of natural resources and environment management has increased owing to their inter-relatedness and cross-cutting nature as well as their inevitable impact on development agenda. They include Climate Change; Biological Diversity (Biodiversity); Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH); Forestry; Fisheries; Oil and Gas; Food Security; Land Degradation; Renewable Energy; International Waters and Wildlife. Increasingly, development partners are acknowledging the need for extensive consultation involving local communities, indigenous peoples, civil society organizations, private sector, women, men, youth in addressing environmental challenges.

 

Yet in the planning, implementation and evaluation of environmental action interventions, the inclusion of young people as relevant actors has been poorly executed in Ghana.  Even where issues of social inclusion are specifically discussed, little attention is paid towards empowering young people to participate in environmental governance.

 

The Strategic Youth Network for Development (SYND) has published a paper which identifies the gaps, opportunities and provides some recommendations to help address the challenges of Youth participation in the governance of Ghana's Natural Resources and Environmental (NRE) sector. A copy of the publication can be downloaded HERE