Upper West Peace Council builds capacity of MDCEs on conflict resolution Upper West Peace Council builds capacity of MDCEs on conflict resolution

Wa, Aug. 28, GNA - The Upper West Regional Peace Council has engaged 11 Municipal and District Chief Executives (MDCEs) on conflict sensitivities to help tackle local conflicts and maintain a peaceful communal environment for economic development.

The MDCEs were taken through various topics including benchmarks for conflict and peace-building as well as investigating conflicts – their causes, impact, consequences as well as preventive and resolution techniques.

In a speech read on his behalf at the opening session of the two-day training in Wa, Dr Hafiz Bin-Salih, the Upper West Regional Minister, said though there were occasional security concerns, the region was relatively peaceful.

He lauded the Peace Council for the training adding that there is the urgent need to put in place early warning mechanisms ahead of the 2020 general elections to prevent any conflict situation.

The Minister called on MDCEs to watch out in their attempts to ensure lasting peace in the assemblies as their actions or inactions could create a conflict situation. 

Bishop Sowa Boi-Nai, a member of the National Peace Council, said the engagement was in fulfilment of Council’s mandate to facilitate and develop mechanisms to prevent, manage, resolve and build sustainable peace in the country.

“It is the fervent hope of the Council that this engagement would institutionalise the process of conflict resolution through dialogue and mediation at the grassroots,” he said.

As heads of the security committees in the municipal and district assemblies, the MDCEs play crucial role in resolving conflicts in their respective localities, he said.

Bishop Boi-Nai expressed the optimism that the training platform provided would deepen collaboration with the Regional Peace Council (RPC) to enhance sustainable peace.

“The task of peace-building is a long and laborious one requiring integrity, fairness, impartiality and confidentiality,” he said.

The MDCEs were entreated to discharge their mandate effectively and efficiently to promote harmonious co-existence and communal peace among citizens.

The Bishop also emphasised the RPC’s crucial role in preventing and managing conflict dynamics to ensure social cohesion and promote local development.

“Many conflicts are local based, requiring local early warning mechanisms as well as local human and material resources,” he said.

These mechanisms seek to help peacemakers promptly respond to causes and effects of chieftaincy, land, ethnic, religious, political and communal conflicts undermining social and economic progress in the region.

Bishop Boi-Nai called for bold and decisive action to properly demarcate lands and register them as well as document chieftaincy succession plans as part of the robust measures to deal with root causes of conflicts in the country.

He also called for proper attention for victims of violent conflicts as part of finding lasting solutions to Ghana’s conflict problem.

Reverend Dr Aloysius Nuolabong, Chairman of the Upper West RPC, in a speech read on his behalf by the RPC Executive Secretary Mr Emmanuel Danyomah, said more than 20 conflict hotspots have been identified in the 11 municipalities and districts of the Region.

Sissala East Municipal, Wa Municipal and Sissala West District are in the lead while Nadowli-Kaleo, Nandom, Wa East districts and Jirapa Municipal “seem to be doing better”.

Dr Allosius said: “These [conflict] situations, when allowed to degenerate into violence will deal a devastating blow to the peace as well as the socio-economic development of the region”.

He appealed to both central and local government authorities to continue to stand with the peace council in peace building to consolidate the economic gains chalked out over the years.

He also appealed for an office space to accommodate personnel of the RPC to be able to discharge their work more effectively.

GNA

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