Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has urged young people in West Africa to play an active role in promoting peace and stability as the region confronts growing security and social challenges.

She said communities across West Africa are dealing with insecurity, extremism, economic pressures, irregular migration, misinformation and the effects of climate change.

According to her, these challenges cross national borders and cannot be addressed by individual countries acting alone.

“These challenges cross borders. They affect governments and communities alike, and no one country can address them alone,” she said.

Prof. Naana Jane said peace is strengthened when people have confidence in institutions, differences can be resolved without violence, and young people can see a credible future for themselves.

She said providing young people with education, skills and economic opportunities was therefore important to regional stability.

“Our education must open doors to opportunity. Those who want to learn a skill must be able to do so, and hard work must offer a credible path to a better life,” she said.

She also cautioned about the impact of misinformation and prejudice in the digital space.

“This has become even more important in the digital age,” she said, noting that young people now operate in spaces where “anger, prejudice, and falsehood come across borders in seconds.”

However, she said technology could also be used positively to connect communities, spread knowledge and create opportunities.

Prof. Naana Jane urged young people to be conscious of the information they share and how they handle disagreements.

“The friendships you form, the seriousness with which you learn, the enterprises you build, the professions you enter, the information you choose to share, the way you handle disagreement, and the willingness to work with people beyond your own circles all contribute in different ways to the kind of region we will become,” she said.

She also called on young people from different West African countries to build relationships across borders, saying regional integration requires more than agreements and political leadership.

“It also requires West Africans who know one another, West Africans who are interested in other people's societies and can recognize their common interests even when they disagree,” she said.

Prof. Naana Jane made the remarks while addressing Catholic youth from across West Africa on the theme “Take courage: Catholic youth as actors and agents of peace, hope in West Africa.”

She said the Church, government, civil society, families and communities all have roles to play in building peaceful societies, but young people also have a responsibility to contribute to the future of the region.