International relations expert Farouk Al-Wahab has expressed concerns about the lack of engagement and investment of Ghanaian youth in their country’s development.
Commenting on the recent protests in Nigeria in an interview on Onua FM monitored by The Accra Times, Al-Wahab doubted that Ghanaian youth would be able to organize a similar movement, attributing his skepticism to the prevalence of political divisions among the youth population, which he believes hinder their ability to unite and drive change.
‘I am saying this on authority, there are no youths in Ghana, we have mature adults, the mature adults are divided by two political settings, NPP adults and NDC adults,” he said.
He argues that despite the shared struggles across Africa, Ghana’s youth are unlikely to spark such transformative protests due to their political party divisions.
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“A Ghanaian youth employed under NPP will prefer to maintain the tempo than join others and vice versa” He added.
Ghana’s development is yet to feel the full weight of the youth’s influence, despite their significant presence in the population and voting population.
“What happened to the Ghanaian youth that went into politics? What happened to the Ghanaian youth introduced by Atta Mills? What happened to the Ghanaian youth introduced by John Mahama? What has happened to the Ghanaian youth introduced by Akufo-Addo?” Al-Wahab quizzed.
Nigerians have been protesting economic hardship and high living costs since August 1, urging the government to accelerate reforms and provide relief. President Bola Tinubu’s response has been mixed, combining calls for calm and offers of dialogue with brutal tactics.
Nevertheless, the protests are expected to persist until August 10. The movement draws inspiration from Kenya’s #RejectFinanceBill2024 protests, led by some Gen Zs. It began as a response to a proposed tax bill and expanded into demands for good governance, anti-corruption, and police reform.
Like their Kenyan counterparts, Nigerian protesters, predominantly young people, are leveraging social media to organize and document their peaceful protests. However, similar movements in Uganda and Ghana have faced police suppression and legal setbacks, respectively.
