By Emmanuel Mensah-Abludo
An NGO, Social Initiative for Literacy and Development Programme (SILDEP), has reaffirmed its commitment to work in synergy with all stakeholders to ensure that Sissala West District remains a model of peace, resilience, and inclusive development.
The Chief Executive Officer of SILDEP, Moses Dramani Luri, made the pledge during a peer-to-peer initiative on building resilience against violent extremism at Gwollu in the Upper West Region.
The event, which was organized by SILDEP in partnership with STAR-Ghana Foundation with support from the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF), was themed “Building Resilience Against Violent Extremism” to strengthen peer-to-peer education as a preventive mechanism. Throwing more light on the purpose of the forum,
Mr. Luri indicated that the threat of violent extremism remains a global and sub-national challenge that requires localized, community-driven responses and interventions, hence the peer-to-peer initiative, among others.
The CEO of SILDEP told the gathering that his organization has pumped significant resources into resilience interventions to demonstrate its commitment to safeguarding our communities. Mr. Luri stated that from November 2025 to April 2026, SILDEP has undertaken resilience initiatives, which include deploying community peace brokers, digital literacy training on Prevention of Violent Extremism (PVE) propaganda, PVE sensitization campaigns, livelihood and economic skills training, and the formation and training of Village Savings and Loans Associations.
The Paramount Chief of Gwollu, Kuoru Babukwie Bajor Limann, who was represented by the Registrar of the Gwollu Traditional Council, Razak Yakubu, expressed gratitude to SILDEP, the Star Ghana Foundation, and other collaborators for their commitment to promoting peace, inclusion and community engagement.
Kuoru Bajor Limann said: “I am particularly pleased that this initiative seeks to encourage youth participation in peacebuilding and community development. The youth are not only the future leaders of our country but also active partners in shaping the present. When properly guided, empowered, and engaged, young people become ambassadors of peace, tolerance, and unity.”
The chief therefore urged the youth to “use dialogue instead of violence, understanding instead of hatred, and cooperation instead of division.”
“Let us learn to respect one another despite our ethnic, political, cultural, and religious differences. Diversity should unite us, not divide us,” Kuoru Bajor Limann said in the message.
The Registrar of the Gwollu Traditional Council, Mr. Yakubu, told the gathering: “As we deliberate during this programme, let us share ideas openly, listen to one another respectfully, and commit ourselves to practical actions that will strengthen social cohesion in our communities.”
The Registrar stated that traditional authorities recognise that peace is the foundation upon which every meaningful development is built, adding that without peace, there can be no progress in education, health, agriculture, business, or community development. Mr. Yakubu stressed that it is, therefore, the collective responsibility of everyone to protect and promote harmony within our communities.
An Assistant Director of the Sissala West District Assembly, Madam Esther Antumwini, who deputised for the District Chief Executive, Abudu Fuseini Gbene, indicated that women and children are the foundation of development. Madam Antumwini called for hard work and collaboration to sustain the gains of the project.
The Acting Sissala West District Director of Education, Chakura Dramani, was unhappy that many young people in the district are placing more importance on the tricycle (“Camboo”) business at the expense of their education, and he entreated parents and opinion leaders to advise young people against the practice, which can negatively impact their future.
The Gwollu Station Officer of the Ghana Police Service, Chief Inspector Hamidu Baba, emphasized the need for the public to partner with the police and other security institutions to weed out bad elements from society.
The District Immigration Commander for Sissala West, Deputy Superintendent of Immigration (DSI) Cletus Galyuon, commended SILDEP for its activities in fostering community resilience against violent extremism, stating that the efforts dovetail into the operations of the security agencies.
Two ladies from the Fulbe community in Gwollu, Fati Issahaku and Salamatu Mohammed, are happy that, through the intervention of SILDEP, their sense of belonging is at its peak. This is because they can now take part in social and developmental activities and mingle freely with all social groupings, which was not the case in the past.
Furthermore, they appreciate the mutual recognition of all residents in Gwollu and the Sissala West District at large as social partners who must work together for peace and progress.
Laila Suleman, an apprentice hairdresser at Gwollu, was equally excited about the enhanced rapport between indigenes and settlers.
She added that they had been operating in silos prior to SILDEP’s social interventions, but now see themselves as equal partners without discrimination.
