GPPAC Consultation in GHANA

National context
Ghana has been described by many as the “island of peace”. This description can be attributed to over a decade of constitutional and democratic rule that has put the country on the pedestal of stable and peaceful countries in West Africa. The Africa Peer Review Mechanism Report commends the government of Ghana for practicing good governance. However underneath this peace and harmony are political and ethnic tensions that have often exploded into violent conflicts.  Indeed Ghana has experienced its fair share of intra-state conflicts. These conflicts which are mostly intra and inter-ethnic in nature have brought untold hardships to millions of people, destruction of property and infrastructure. The conflicts have been attributed to social exclusion, disputes around scare resources, chieftaincy, and religion and generalized poverty.  As country mostly dependant on agriculture, the issue land distribution, accessibility and ownership of land have sparked off conflicts in many of the regions in Ghana. The struggle for power and recognition has turned the age long respected chieftaincy institution into symbol of conflict in my traditions. Northern Ghana especially has become a horrendous theatre for chieftaincy related conflict. It must however be stated that government in collaboration with CSOs has managed to restore stability in most of the tension zones.  However as the root causes of these conflicts are often structural there is still more to be done at the policy level to resolve and transform the conflicts in order to build durable peace.   

The consultation
In Ghana, the consultation was organized from 25^th to 26^th of May 2006. The two-day consultation took the form of plenary session and group discussions. 30 participants took part. The consultation took the form of plenary session and group discussions. The first day was devoted to a plenary discussion while the second day was used for group discussions that centred mainly on reviewing the recommendations of GPPAC under the Global Action Agenda for the prevention of violent conflict.

There were 30 participants.  Also present was the out-going Northern Regional Minister Mr. Boniface Abubakar Saddique. The consultation was facilitated by the Executive Director of WANEP, Mr. Emmanuel Bombande.

In their separate opening addresses, both the Regional Minister and Executive Director acknowledged that security was a collective responsibility given the enormity of the effects of violent conflict in the West Africa. CSOs and for that matter communities must therefore own the peace process and carry if forward to the level of sustainability. Then Northern Regional Minister asserted that managing conflict was not a one-stop act. He called for developing a posture towards peace instead of curative actions that face the daunting challenges of resolving conflicts only after they have destroyed lives. In this regard peoples’ capacities must be developed to manage and transform conflict. For his part, Mr. Bombande urged all parties in the Dagbon crisis[1] to renew and respect their commitment to the road map[2] to peace negotiated by the Group of Eminent Chiefs. He urged CSOs working in Peace and Security to compliment the efforts of government in ensuring that there is sustainable peace, particularly within the context of the Dagbon crisis. Mr. Bombande said it was the duty of CSOs to continue to urge government to apprehend all persons who hide behind the crisis to commit human rights abuses and violate the laws of the land.

During the two-day period participants identified and discussed priority issues to prevent conflict, proposing strategies for achieving their objective. The issues were establishment of platforms for conflict monitoring and early warning at local, regional and national levels; research on conflicts in Ghana; build local capacity for effective peacebuilding in the country.  Strategies to address these priorities included training, recreational activities, documentary, drama and Role plays, durbars and festivals, setting up Peacebuilding Committees, radio discussions / publications. The capacity building/enhancement is expected to last for three years starting from June 2006 and ending in May 2009. Organizations with the necessary expertise were identified to lead in responding to the issues prioritized, with GHANEP playing a coordinating and facilitating role. By the end of the consultation participants made the following major recommendations:

1. Two separate bodies should be responsible for early warning and early response.
2. Peace Commissions should be established at the community, district and regional levels to coordinate the work of the monitoring centre. These shall work directly with the National Peace Commission located at the Ministry of the Interior.
3. Early Response Unit should be put in place to respond rapidly to any conflict warning signal or violence that may occur anywhere.