Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has urged Catholic youth across West Africa to take the lead in promoting peace, hope and unity as the sub-region confronts growing security and social challenges.
She said young people must not see themselves merely as beneficiaries of peace initiatives but as important actors and agents capable of shaping a more peaceful and prosperous future for West Africa.
The Vice President made the call while addressing a gathering of Catholic youth and faith leaders, where she stressed the need for young people to use their energy, creativity and influence to counter division, intolerance and violence.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang noted that West Africa faces complex challenges, including violent extremism, organised crime, unemployment and social exclusion, which require collective and proactive responses.
She said the youth, who constitute a significant proportion of the region’s population, have a crucial role to play in preventing conflicts and building resilient communities.
According to her, peace must go beyond the absence of violence and should include justice, inclusion, opportunity and respect for human dignity.
She encouraged Catholic youth to become voices of reconciliation within their communities by promoting dialogue, tolerance and peaceful coexistence among people of different religious, ethnic and political backgrounds.
The Vice President further called on faith-based institutions to invest in youth development and equip young people with the skills and values needed to contribute meaningfully to national and regional development.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang maintained that strengthening cooperation among West African countries was essential to addressing threats that increasingly cross national borders.
She stressed that the region could not afford fragmented responses to insecurity, arguing that countries must share information, coordinate efforts and prioritise prevention.
The Vice President’s message comes amid growing calls for greater youth involvement in peacebuilding and regional development. She has consistently maintained that unlocking the potential of young people requires collaboration among government, communities, the private sector and development partners.
She therefore urged Catholic youth to transform their faith into practical action by becoming ambassadors of peace, defenders of hope and responsible leaders who can help build a safer and more united West Africa.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said the future of the sub-region depends largely on a generation of young people prepared to choose dialogue over conflict, unity over division and hope over despair.
