In Sunyani, a city nestled in Ghana’s Bono Region, the Chamber doors have opened to an unexpected group of law-makers: teenagers. With the backing of Resilient City for Adolescents project (RC4A) funded through the Healthy Cities for Adolescents (HCA-II) programme, the city’s first Adolescent Parliament is proving that young people don’t just have opinions — they have solutions.
From participation to power
Launched in 2024 in the bustling intermediary city of Sunyani, the Adolescent Parliament is no gimmick. It is a well-structured, policy-influencing body made up of 19 adolescent Members of Parliament (MPs), each democratically elected by peers from their communities. They represent real constituencies, draft manifestos, and debate issues ranging from sanitation to education. Backed by training in parliamentary procedure, public speaking, and digital literacy, these young MPs are fast becoming a serious voice in urban governance.
“Before, we did not understand the local government system — we were just watching things happen in the city,” says Rahima, a 21-year-old adolescent MP for Yahima Constituency in Sunyani City. “Now we know where to go and what to do when something is not right — and we can make things happen.”
The making of a movement
The Adolescent Parliament is part of a broader vision by HCA-II and RC4A Ghana to ensure that adolescents are not just heard but truly integrated into the mechanisms of urban development. At its core, the initiative tackles a fundamental problem in intermediary cities like Sunyani: young peoples’ exclusion from decision-making.
“We knew we needed to move beyond participation,” says Raphael GodLove Ahenu, Executive Director of Global Media Foundation. “So we built structures that mirror real governance — Speaker, Majority and Minority Leaders, Clerks. This isn’t play. It’s preparation.”
With support from HCA’s Strategic Framework and hands-on technical guidance, the initiative weaves adolescent voice into every fabric of the city’s development. From bi-annual policy hearings to strategic advisory meetings with municipal assemblies, the Parliament ensures a feedback loop between the youth and city leadership.
Results that speak for themselves
When the Parliament held its first official session in February 2024, dignitaries packed the room: representatives from Ghana’s national parliament, Sunyani municipal officials, the Paramount Queen Mother, teachers, and parents. The debate on public library access was fiery, factual, and fearless. Parliamentarians presented data, shared testimonies, and made their case with clarity that surprised even seasoned officials.
“What we witnessed today at the inauguration and sitting of the Adolescent Parliament was not children playing adults,” said Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim, Member of Parliament for Banda Constituency, and now Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs (MLGDRA). “We saw future mayors, legislators, change-makers.”
Following the debate, the city began early talks about reviving the long-abandoned youth library. It was a small policy ripple, but one that came from the mouths of its youngest citizens.
Beyond the Chamber
What makes the Adolescent Parliament revolutionary isn’t just the debates. It’s the system around it. These young MPs are trained in Adolescent Transformational Journalism to document urban issues in blogs, videos, and radio shows. They participate in community forums, help conduct health surveys, and co-design youth-friendly public spaces.
With HCA funding and technical backing, the Parliament is now linked to a wider ecosystem, including an Intermediary City Ecosystem Platform (ICEP) and an adolescent-friendly clinic. Plans are underway to integrate adolescent proposals into the Sunyani Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP) – the city’s master planning document.
The Adolescent Parliament has been designed for longevity — and it is just one of many HCA initiatives built with long-term impact in mind. Through cross-sector partnerships, mentorships, and civic education embedded in local schools, the Parliament is positioning itself not as a project initiative but as a civic institution.
Looking ahead
In a world where adolescence is often seen as a waiting room for adulthood, Sunyani’s young parliamentarians are refusing to wait. They are drafting policy, transforming neighbourhoods, and reimagining their city as a place where youth voices matter — today.
Thanks to the Healthy Cities for Adolescents programme, the city of Sunyani is not just building parks and clinics. It is building confidence, leadership, and a generation that knows how to ask better of its leaders.
And sometimes, that begins with a gavel in the hands of a 15-year-old.
