National Peace Council trains 30 in electoral violence prevention

Thirty selected participants from various communities in the Volta, Oti, Eastern, and Greater Accra regions began a two-day training on “Early Warning and Response Mechanism to Election-Related Violence” in Ho on Monday, July 15.

The programme, organised by the National Peace Council (NPC) with support from the Catholic Relief Services and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, aims to facilitate and develop mechanisms to prevent, manage, and resolve conflicts, particularly in the lead-up to this year’s general elections.

Participants were drawn from district assemblies, non-governmental organisations, student and youth groups, the clergy, the National Commission for Civic Education, the Office of the National Chief Imam, and other sectors.

The training topics included violent extremism, an overview of early warning signs, principles of violent extremism and early warning indicators, Ghana’s National Early Warning System, developing and implementing violent extremism early warning mechanisms, and gender dimensions in violent extremism early warning and response.

In a presentation, Senior Research Fellow Dr. Ken Ahorsu said the failure of states to provide basic rights, services, and security contributed to growing inequality and created a vacuum for non-state actors to take control over state sovereignty and territory. 

“Failed political transitions, with weak institutions, law enforcement, and checks and balances, provide a fertile ground for violent extremism,” he added.

The Fellow from the Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy, University of Ghana, said the banalisation of violence through daily projection and consumption via the media also contributed to the rise in violent behaviour.

Shedding light on election-related violence, Dr. Ahorsu said elections were one of the main pillars of democracy but often triggered violence when fundamental human rights, such as the rights of association and expression, were violated.

The Executive Secretary of the NPC, George Amoh, said Ghana had laws, channels, and avenues for resolving conflicts. 

Therefore, no form of violence to promote one’s political cause was acceptable, he maintained.