High youth unemployment in Africa fertile ground for radicalism — Western North NCCE Director

The Western North Regional Director for National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Sam Awudu Dramani has cautioned African, and for that matter Ghanaian leaders to educate the youth on the dangers of intolerance and radicalization to prevent them from being misled.

He said the rising youth unemployment makes it easier for any extremist group to recruit them since, “the bible says the devil finds work for the idle hands.”

Speaking at a Workshop in Bibiani on Youth Violent Extremism Activities, the Regional NCCE boss noted that the time for leaders to tackle unemployment which poses threat to national security.

“As the Bible says, the devil finds work for the idle hands, therefore it is easy for the youth to be radicalized. If anyone picks them up and gives them some training in anyway, they will heed and do what those religious extremists want.

“The way some people are busily luring and indoctrinating the youth with some beliefs and making them intolerant of others’, the condition of teeming unemployed youth gives them very fertile grounds to operate,” he noted.

The workshop which was under the theme; We are One, Ghana First, drew some youth and youth activists from various parts of the Western North Region.

The Commission in collaboration with the European Union jointly organized the workshop with the aim of first reaching the youth with information about the dangers of associating with religious extremists and radicals, and peaceful co-existence with people of varied beliefs.

Mr. Awudu Dramani noted that due to Ghana’s close relations with Nigeria, some bad occurrences in that country could possibly be replicated in the country, citing the danger of Boko Haram possibly recruiting people in Ghana.

“These are some of the reasons we are calling for opened-eyes and education for the youth to know that Ghana’s acceptance of democracy has its principles and tenets and some of them are about jaw-jawing, it’s about sitting round the table…even the demonstrations people embark on is part of democracy,” he posited.

He said the youth must not be oppressed in any form or suppressed when they voice out their concerns through demonstrations.

This, he pointed reduces the nerves to give in to the enticements of some extremists.

“Because when there is violence in a country, it can lead to death, it can lead to loss of property, even at this time that the nation has recorded some positive advancements we are crying for more, but when there is violence our little infrastructure would be destroyed,” he cautions.