Garu: The National Peace Council has trained women and youth leaders in three communities in the Garu District in the Upper East Region to participate in local governance.
According to Ghana News Agency, the participants, drawn from Siisi, Denugu, and Kugri communities, along with local governance actors, were equipped with knowledge on the local governance structure, advocacy for local development, ethics of community advocacy, and their role in local development, among others.
The initiative had funding support from the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). It aimed at enhancing the roles of youth and women in peacebuilding and local governance and addressing the historical marginalisation of women and youth in Ghana’s governance and development landscape, particularly in the northern parts of the country.
Mr Ali Anankpieng, Executive Secretary of the Upper East Regional Peace Council, noted that though women and youth were the most affected by decisions made in political and socio-economic spaces, they were often excluded from such processes. The training, he emphasised, was to develop their potential as advocates of peace and increase their participation in local governance and decision-making structures to improve community development.
Dr George Amoh, the National Executive Secretary of the National Peace Council, stressed the importance of training more women for peacebuilding roles, noting that their influence, when properly harnessed, could be pivotal in conflict resolution and sustainable development. Referencing the Liberian civil war, for instance, where women used unconventional but powerful methods to demand an end to the war, he noted that ‘Some of them went naked in protest while others denied their husbands intimacy until the violence stopped.’
He charged the women to embrace their ‘God-given power’ to influence positive change by advocating for peace and taking up leadership roles at the local and national levels to influence decisions that address their concerns and needs.
Madam Alice Awingura Akundi, the Garu District Planning Officer, said the Assembly could only succeed with the support of women and youth and the training was in the right direction to enhancing their understanding of what they could do at the community level to propel development. ‘There have been cases where community members will see people destroying furniture in classrooms or cutting down trees indiscriminately, and though they may see something wrong with it, they will sit aloof with the perception that it’s the Assembly that must intervene. So, this training is very crucial for them,’ she said.
Madam Lamisi Bukari, a participant from the Denugu community, indicated that there was a previous belief that only educated individuals could contest positions such as Assembly member or Unit Committee member, which discouraged most women from participating due to their lack of education. However, she said the training had made them to understand that education was not a barrier to occupying those positions, adding that they were ready to seek election to be part of the decision-making process.
Mr Edward Ndebugre, Assembly Member for Kugri-Natenga Electoral Area, lauded the Peace Council for its effort in building the capacity of women and youth to spearhead peace campaigns and promote social cohesion in the area. He noted that ‘the Fulbe community now has a representative at the chief’s palace, and that is as a result of the work of the Peace Council in ensuring we live together in harmony to advance development for ourselves, and we are grateful.’