By Emmanuel Mensah-Abludo
The Head of Governance and Inclusive Growth, UNDP Ghana, Dr. Edward Ampratwum, has underscored the importance of community peace committees, saying they are critical to early warning mechanisms. The governance expert made the observation during a field visit to Wechiau and Dorimon in the Wa West District by members of the project steering committee (PSC) to interact with project beneficiaries and assess the impact of the intervention in Upper West.
The 30-month project, dubbed “Enhancing Social Cohesion and Social Contract through the Empowerment of Women and Youth in Three Northern Regions of Ghana,” has the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), in partnership with UNDP and UNFPA Ghana, as implementers.
Emphasising the significance of the community peace committees, Dr. Ampratwum said they are able to identify issues and resolve them at the community level before they escalate to the security agencies.
He continued that through the support of the Peace Building Fund, the UNFPA and the UNDP worked together to promote social cohesion and the social contract for the people of the Upper West Region. The governance expert was extremely thankful to the National Peace Council for helping to establish about 35 community peace committees in Upper West. According to Dr. Ampratwum, one of the focuses of the project was to enable the District Assembly to provide services and be accountable to the people through the local government programme, and he added that the project partners are happy about the creation of a dashboard for citizens to give direct feedback to the Assembly so that issues affecting them can be addressed.
Dr. Ampratwum stressed the need for the beneficiaries to share their knowledge with others to create the needed multiplier effect across the project areas and beyond.
The National Gender Analyst of UNFPA-Ghana and Focal Person of the Peace Building Project, Madam Selina Owusu, was excited that two and a half years of intense work and support from the project partners and beneficiaries have yielded heartwarming results. She noted that testimonies from the beneficiaries have proved that they have really imbibed the concepts of the project. Madam Owusu noted that the communities now insist on representation from women, youth, and minority groups at meetings, which she considers a refreshing outcome of the intervention.
A Religious Leader from Dorimon, Daudi Emmanuel Jabuni, said prior to the project, “they didn’t know there was the need to support one another in case of conflict. We thought if one was having a problem, it was his/her own cup of tea and had to be resolved as such. But with this programme [PBP], we know and we have seen, and understand that without collaboration, understanding, social cohesion, and empowering of the vulnerable, there will never be peace.” He added that, before peace can reign in a community, it starts with the individual at the personal and household level. Mr. Jabuni also announced that the project, through the community peace committees, has equipped them to resolve land and marital disputes in their localities with ease.
The Director, Capacity Development and Outreach, National Peace Council, Mrs. Janet Sarney-Kuma, pointed out that the skills training component of the initiative has prepared the beneficiaries to earn their livelihood while stimulating the local economy.
A young lady in Dorimon, Hamdia Iddrisu, who received support under the project to go into bakery, was very thankful to UNDP and other implementing partners. She stated that the initiative has opened a new chapter in her life as self-employed and promised to put her skills at the disposal of others willing to learn the trade.
The team on the field trip, which included the UNFPA Representative, Dr. Wilfred Ochan, and Mr. Samuel Seth Passah of the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, kicked off the tour from the Wa West District Assembly in Wechiau, where the members interacted with the District Coordinating Director (DCD), Pius Fuseini.
The DCD described the intervention in Wa West as “impactful” and called for the project to be rolled out, pledging further support from the Assembly.
The team also witnessed a presentation on the PBP by the Wa West Planning Officer, Madam Amina Baluwie, as well as a dashboard presentation on the project by the Upper West Regional Management Information System (MIS) Officer, Addo Issah Mensah.
The Upper West Regional Director of the Department of Gender, Madam Charity Batuure, and Madam Melody Azinim of UNDP were equally on the field visit.
