The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has urged the youth to play active roles in the maintenance of national peace.

As key stakeholders who stood to benefit immensely from a peaceful and stable country, the youth must support efforts by various state actors to maintain peace, harmony and national cohesion by being at the forefront of all peace campaigns, it said.

Mr Francis Oppong, the Sekyere Afram Plains District Director of the NCCE, said the youth had the duty to serve as peace ambassadors and stay away from activities that could spark violence.

Addressing section of the youth at a workshop at Drobonso in the Ashanti Region, he urged them to cooperate with relevant stakeholders to eliminate all forms of criminal activities.

The workshop, on the theme: "Empowering Ghanaians to Stand for National Cohesion and Inclusive Participation," sought to sensitise participants on violent extremism, terrorism, vigilantism and national cohesion.

It was organised by the NCCE in collaboration with the Ministry of National Security.

Mr Oppong urged the participants to form community watchdog committees to complement efforts of the police in protecting the communities and combating crime.

The Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Opoku Agyemang Prempeh, the District Police Commander, advised the youth to desist from unlawful activities that threatened the peace.

He said the workshop was timely, considering the spate of extremism and terrorist attacks in neighboring countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali, Ivory Coast and Nigeria.

He called for more of such civic engagements to curb the perennial electoral violence that continued to mar Ghana's democratic credentials.

Nana Dwamena Dankwah Dwebisaw III, the Chief of Drobonso, applauded the NCCE and the National Security Ministry for the initiative, saying it would consolidate the nation's enviable record of being one of the most stable countries in the sub-region.