The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohamed-Mubarak, has called for the amplification of women’s voices in peace-building efforts across West Africa.
Speaking at the Conflict Prevention and Sustainable Peace Forum held at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Accra, on Wednesday May, 28, 2025, the Minister highlighted the urgent need to institutionalize women’s leadership in regional peace and security initiatives.
He emphasised that sustainable peace cannot be achieved without the active participation of women. “We must amplify women’s voices in peace building, governance, and democratic transitions,” he said.
He praised Ghana’s progress in gender equality, citing the historic appointment of the country’s first female Vice President in 2025 and the passage of the Affirmative Action, Gender Equality Act in 2024, which mandates a minimum of 40% female representation in public appointments. These steps, he said, reflect Ghana’s strong commitment to inclusive governance.
The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohamed-Mubarak, laid out strategies to tackle the region’s pressing security challenges, which include terrorism, violent extremism, insurgency, piracy, and climate-related conflicts.
To achieve sustainable peace, he outlined a comprehensive action plan, saying women’s leadership must be ensured in peace architecture at national, regional and local levels.
He added that education and youth empowerment are crucial in tackling grievances and exclusion and that regional collaboration must be strengthened through ECOWAS protocols and joint security operations.
The Minister further added that digital literacy must be promoted to counter disinformation that fuels tensions and that inclusive dialogue must be fostered, particularly in fragile and transitional contexts and early warning systems driven by civil society and women’s groups must be prioritized.
He emphasised the importance of working together to build a region where peace is firm, democracy is credible and every voice is heard and valued.
He expressed appreciation to the Australian High Commission in Ghana and KAIPTC for hosting the critical forum.
Also speaking at the event, the Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, Her Excellency Berenice Owen-Jones, underscored the importance of reforming peace-building architecture, stressing that peace must be built on justice and gender equality, which the Commission actively champions.
The forum brought together key stakeholders from across the region and the international community, reflecting a shared commitment to fostering peace, stability, and inclusive governance in West Africa. It also served as a platform to spotlight the often-overlooked contributions of women as key agents in conflict prevention and democratic development.
