Lixi, Head of Governance Section, European Union Delegation to Ghana, has underscored the need for Ghana to maintain its enviable record as a shining example of democracy.
She noted that it was important for all stakeholders in the upcoming elections to ensure a free and credible election.
Lixi disclosed this in an interview on the sidelines of a youth civic organised by Act for Change, a non-governmental organisation in Ga Mashie, in collaboration with the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) on Thursday, November 28, 2024.
She revealed that the EU is engaging with the Electoral Commission (EC), different actors, different security actors, the civil society, and CODEO in order to ensure free, fair, and credible
elections.
Lixi maintained that strengthening the rule of law, democracy, stability, and security is a process that requires key acts of engagement by all stakeholders, including the government, civil society, youth organisations, and women organisations, adding that “each one of the groups is to play a role towards the same objective, and the EU has partnered with these various groups in achieving this goal.
She also encouraged increased participation of women in governance, particularly in parliament.
This challenge, she noted, was not only limited to Africa but also Europe.
“We are concerned about that because this is the same issue that we also have in Europe. The level of women’s participation in parliament and in government is very low in Europe. So as we are concerned in Europe, we are also concerned in Africa.”
According to her, the EU continues to support civil society organisations, youth organisations, and government organisations in a variety of ways to improve people’s lives.
She stated that the EU has historically supported various initiatives in agriculture, climate change, and governance to improve the rule of law.
Elections are crucial instruments for enhancing democracy and the democratic process, according to Lixi.
‘’We have partnered with the NCCE with Act for Change, the Youth Leadership Parliament,’’ for this engagement.
She said this engagement will help the youth acquire knowledge and awareness about their rights and duties as citizens.
She argued this will also give the youth voice, ‘’and so for us in Ghana, the election is very important, and we wanted to raise the awareness of the youth in order to give the youth voice. So far, the elections in Ghana are very important, and we wanted to give our little contributions to Act for Change, which is very present in the Ga Mashie area, to organise these activities for the youth and for the women in order to understand their rights and the possibility to express their voice and express their preference during the elections.’’
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
