By: Johannes Jafo Akunatu [0247019099; akjafo@gmail.com]
April 2026 marks Fifty years of the existence of the Gonjaland Youth Association (GLYA) – an Association that has stood the test of times in advocating the interest of the youth and the people of Gonjaland through agitation and lobbying. Fifty years is an occasion that calls for some kind of jubilation but more so a time for serious sober reflections. What tangible developments or achievements has GLYA achieved for the benefit of the people of Gonjaland, more so the youths, in fifty years of its existence?
The Gonjaland Youth Association was set up in the early 1970s by educated young Gonjas who felt their homeland was not sufficiently articulated within the national body politic. These young people were concern over slow development, weak representation in decision making, and the gradual erosion of cultural identity among younger generations. In 1973, a group of committed Gonja youth and respected leaders met in Tamale to form what was then called the Gonja Youth Association. Their purpose was simple and urgent. They wanted to unite the youth of the kingdom, defend the dignity of the Gonja people, and push for development across the territory.
Among the early group of pioneer members were highly respected personalities such as Alhaji Sulemana Gado, the Kanyasewura of Kpempe and Lepowura Alhaji M. N. D. Jawula amongst others. They believed that the future of Gonja Kingdom depends heavily on the ability of young people in the kingdom to organize themselves and also ensure that their tradition and culture are safeguarded in order to spearhead the development needs of their various communities. Three years later, in 1976, the association expanded its scope and adopted the name Gonjaland Youth Association. The new name reflected a wider mission that went beyond youth mobilization to include advocacy for the overall development of the entire Gonja traditional area.
For many decades, the Gonjaland Youth Association has been recognized as the common forum for unity amongst Gonja youths both within the country and outside the country. Each year the congress brought together students and working professionals, chiefs and citizens of Gonjaland to discuss topical issues affecting the region. It served a huge purpose of enhancing the bonds of relationship and in the process creating a strong forum of Gonja professionals capable of contributing towards the rapid development of the homeland.
Another important role that the Association has played in Gonjaland is ensuring peace and stability during critical times in the traditional area. Northern Ghana has witnessed a string of disputes over land, chieftaincy and boundaries of various communities which if not managed well, could plunge communities into crisis and hinder development. The Gonjaland Youth Association has played a remarkable role in promoting dialogue and finding amicable solutions to these conflicts. For example, the Association on many occasions has mediated disputes and has even established committees to investigate issues related to disputed land and reported their findings to the paramount traditional ruler and other chiefs in Gonjaland to prevent conflict from arising. Their unsung work of promoting peace and stability in the region is largely unnoticed in the media but they have achieved great success in diffusing tense situations in the region and preventing many a violent conflicts that could have characterized the situations in the region.
The Association has also played a role in various public discussions in relation to threats to the Gonjaland image or interests. When disputes in which Gonja communities were involved and reported in the media, the Association issued statements in an effort to make clear the Gonja position and to call for restraint and constructive moderation. In this way, the Association emerged as the bulwark of the unity of the Gonja kingdom.
In the area of development advocacy, leaders of the Association often point to several projects that benefited from the pressure and mobilization of Gonjaland youth over the years. These include the establishment of health training institutions such as nursing training colleges in Salaga, Damongo, and Bole. The Association also supported advocacy for major infrastructure projects including the Fufulso to Sawla road, a key transportation corridor that connects several communities within the Savannah Region.
The youth body had advocated the promotion of customary law and the strengthening of traditional authority and Gonja cultural identity. They promoted for example development projects benefiting the Jakpa palace, the seat of the Yagbonwura, the sovereign of the Gonja kingdom. In supporting these projects, the Association reaffirmed the importance of traditional authorities in the Gonja social structure.
Apart from advocating for various developmental projects, the Gonjaland Youth Association also advocate for the preservation of Gonja culture. The roots of the Gonja kingdom traces back to Ndewura Jakpa, the great warrior that founded the Gonja state centuries back. For many elders, preserving the customs, language, and traditions linked to that legacy remains a duty for every generation. Through youth gatherings, cultural programs, and support for traditional festivals such as Damba, the Association has encouraged younger Gonjas to remain connected to their roots even as modernization reshapes society.
Youth development has always been a cornerstone of the Association’s mission. Through its congresses and community outreach activities, the Association has always sought to provide young people with opportunities to learn from their elderly and from the professionals working for the benefit of Gonjaland. Education, hard work and volunteering have been major themes for many of the speakers who have addressed congresses. In addition, countless students and young professionals from Gonjaland have benefited from the strong network of connections the Association has enabled them to build, and the advice and guidance it has provided.
The Leadership of Gonjaland Youth Association is more recently focusing on the need to address youth unemployment and poverty in the Savannah Region. Many communities in Gonjaland have severe economic problems. Employment is hard to find and many youth move to the south to hunt for jobs or better opportunities. They are exploring the topic of youth entrepreneurship, vocational training and economic opportunities to empower the youth and bring them away from dependence on relatives and benevolent organizations.
The establishment of Savannah Region in 2019 has been one of the major political developments in the Gonjaland. For years, people in the North had been complaining about the huge size of the Northern Region that excluded the distant areas from meaningful administrative services. Most local governance experts called for the creation of a new region which they believed would help address the developmental challenges of Gonjaland. The Gonjaland Youth Association therefore championed the campaign for the creation of Savannah Region and therefore, when a referendum was held and a majority of people voted in favour of the creation of the Savannah Region, many members of the Association felt that their long-standing campaign for the region had achieved a great success.
Despite all the triumphs of the golden jubilee there are also challenges to deal with. Some of them are simple and straightforward. After fifty years of youth organisation in Gonjaland there are still many localities that are characterised by a number of serious development challenges, including large-scale poverty, low educational achievements in a number of districts and large-scale youth emigration to urban areas in other regions in search of employment.
The current state of affairs presents the Association with a number of critical challenges that require it to make important strategic decisions about its future. Some stakeholders contend that the Association needs to rapidly adopt a new era of activities and attitudes: moving away from diplomatic functions and towards an economic and educational development model that brings tangible benefits to young people. Others believe it's necessary for the Association to intensify its cooperation with state agencies, private investors, and international development agencies, in order to draw new advantages and projects into the region.
Such criticisms do not erase the achievements of the past five decades. What you young people in Gonjaland expect to happen faster cannot be denied. We live in a technology and global competition with a different economy, and it is only natural that we expect our political and economic systems to respond to our aspirations and make it possible for us to have a better life.
The history of the Gonjaland Youth Association is one of struggle and solidarity. For fifty years now the Association has provided an opportunity for Gonja youth to formally organize, to express their views and to lobby for Gonja interests. Thus, the Association has promoted the preservation of the Gonja culture, unity in diversity among the Gonjaland communities and has provided a mouthpiece for the development issues of Gonjaland at the national level.
Fifty years later, the time has come to reflect, celebrate and reposition. It is time to not only salute the contributions of the founding fathers but more so, invite the present and future generations to raise their ambitions. Indeed, the time has come for Gonjaland’s youth to begin to chart a new course and direct their efforts and resources towards the necessary challenges in the region. We cannot afford to continue as illiterates, disunited and apathetic youths, cowering under the weight of challenges facing our region. We owe it to ourselves and posterity to act with hope and confidence.
For Gonjaland Youth Association to live up to this responsibility of history, this golden jubilee occasion marks far more than just a climax to the association's five decades of existence. Rather it marks a defining take – off of a more sustainable development future of the Gonjaland and her people.
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