Stakeholders of the Peace Building Fund (PBF) project communities in the Upper West Region, have reaffirmed their commitment to upholding agreed upon actions towards promoting peace in their communities, districts and region as a whole.
They acknowledged that their actions and inactions as stakeholders in the communities had an influence on the security situation in those areas and the districts in general.
That was during a stakeholder review meeting on the PBF project organised by the Upper West Regional Department of Gender on actions the stakeholders subscribed to in ensuring that peace prevailed in their communities.
As part of the actions, the youth committed to being vigilant and alert in picking and reporting early warning signs on security issues, while the security agencies agreed to ensure confidentiality of people reporting security issues.
Service providers, including health and education, were also to enhance their service delivery to prevent service-related conflicts; women would be vigilant at their work places and report strange persons or activities, while traditional authorities were to have frequent engagement with their communities.
Speaking at the meeting at Gwollu in the Sissala West District, Mr Cletus Galyuon, the Sissala West District Commander of the Ghana Immigration Service, indicated that they had enhanced their operations including frequent engagements with foreign nationals in the district.

He reiterated the commitment of the security service to maintaining confidentiality of informants to ensure their effective collaboration in safeguarding the district, the region and Ghana as a whole.
Mr Bakariwie Sumaila, a youth representative, said they had established the Sissala West District Youth Parliament comprising youth representatives from communities in the district, including Fulbe youth as part of efforts to promote peace in the district.
In the Wa West District, Mr Crispin Yangor, the Wa West District Coordinating Director, acknowledged the impact of the PBF project in ensuring peace prevailed in the district.
He encouraged the stakeholders and community members who had benefited from the project’s engagements to serve as peace ambassadors within their localities.
Madam Charity Batuure, the Upper West Regional Director of the Department of Gender, urged the communities to prioritise activities that would bind their members and build their resilience against conflicts that could mar their peace.
She encouraged them to desist from approaching issues based on their political party affiliations as that could break the community bond saying, “It does not help in any way when we do things in party colours.”
Madam Batuure called on the communities to carve a sustainable path on maintaining peace beyond the PBF project as the first phase of the project would soon end.
The stakeholders emphasised the need for security agencies to ensure confidence in the communities they served, prioritise confidentiality and feedback in order to enhance the security-civilian collaboration in promoting peace.
The PBF project is being implemented in the Wa West and Sissala West Districts with funding from the UNFPA to help address drivers for conflicts and prevent violent extremism.