Chiefs and other opinion leaders have been urged to promote peace before, during and after 2024 general election in their respective traditional areas, in the Northern Region.
This is because the role of traditional institutions, remain cornerstones for peace and stability in the country.
Executive Director of STAR-Ghana Foundation, Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko Amidu, who made the call, reminded opinion leaders that peace was not merely the absence of conflict, but the manifestation of justice and inclusive development.
He was speaking at conference of chiefs and queen mothers on peace and security, organised by STAR-Ghana Foundation, with funding from Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
The participants were drawn from the Upper East, Upper West, North East Region, Savannah and Northern Regions.
Alhaji Amidu noted that chiefs and queen mothers were important in safeguarding peace and stability, adding that the 2024 elections presented a test of their resilience and an opportunity to highlight the strength of traditional systems and civil society partnerships.
He said STAR-Ghana Foundation was ready to support peace-building efforts with technical expertise, and platforms for dialogue.
Alhaji Amidu called on traditional rulers to focus on traditional mediation mechanisms, elevate women’s role in peace building and engaged the youth constructively to solve conflicts.
Alhaji Amidu also expressed worry that the Ghana Peace Index records 114 conflict incidents in Northern Ghana from 2020 to 2023, with 37 per cent politically motivated.
He said West Africa Network for Peace Building had identified 24 active conflict hotspots in the region –a 30 per cent rise since 2020.
According to Alhaji Amidu, public anxiety per the Ghana Statistical Service in 2023, indicates that 68 per cent of Northern Ghana residents fear election-related violence with women and youth expressing the highest levels of concern at 76 per cent.
Additionally, he said the report revealed not only the scale of the challenge, but also its disproportionate impact on vulnerable groups.
“73 per cent of Northern Ghana residents trust traditional leaders as key mediators in community conflicts, this trust is an immense responsibility, particularly as political tension and regional security threats escalate, “he stressed.
Alhaji Amidu appealed to opinion leaders to act as peace ambassadors.
The Principal Programmes Manager of the Upper East Regional National Peace Council, Mr Daniel Angaamba, said the National Security Strategy (NSS, 2020) has recognised Traditional leaders as the vanguard in resolving communal conflicts and disputes as they could better understand the remote and immediate causes of conflicts, and handle these conflicts.
He said “traditional leaders are mostly seen to be unifying factors not only in their communities but also in the nation in general.”
Mr Angaamba noted that traditional authorities had been relied upon to mediate disputes in the country and “were known to have a lot of social capital, personal, political and ethic connections to build bridges between feuding factions.”
FROM YAHAYA NUHU NADAA, TAMALE
