Over 50 young people and women from Jeffisi, Zini, and Fielmuo communities in the Sissala West District of the Upper West Region have been empowered through capacity-building training organized by the National Peace Council (NPC).
The training, held in Gwollu on 11th and 12th September 2024, aimed at enhancing the participants' knowledge and skills in peacebuilding, human rights, advocacy, and finding sustainable solutions to community challenges.
Under the theme, "Empowering Voices: Strengthening Women and Youth Leadership in Local Governance and Peace Advocacy," the program focused on preparing participants to take on active roles in promoting peace and ensuring their involvement in local governance structures.
Mrs. Janet Sarney-Kuma, Director in charge of Capacity Development and Outreach at the NPC, led the training and emphasized the importance of youth and women’s participation in peace processes as key drivers of change in their communities.
“The purpose of the program is to build their knowledge and capacity in peace, specifically in areas of human rights, advocacy, and we are also helping them to identify problems within their community, to draw an action plan and to be able to go back and implement these things within their communities,” she said.
The training covered several important topics, including constitutional rights and responsibilities, women and youth leadership as peace agents, participation in local and traditional governance, and the development of advocacy skills.
Mrs. Sarney-Kuma said the young people were trained in these areas to enable engage in meaningful advocacy in helping to address the problems facing their communities which are often the causes of conflict among people.
“We are also teaching them how to do advocacy because we know that a lot of the problems that go on within the community are because something is lacking. Sometimes, it is just water; sometimes, they need a school, [and] sometimes, it is an issue of land.
”If you are able to do advocacy very well and get people’s attention to your plight, you can resolve many issues without fighting,” she indicated.
Mrs Sarney-Kuma encouraged the youth to use their newfound knowledge to advocate for human rights and community development.
She also called on the general public to “choose peace over war” as the country nears a very crucial election saying, “This democracy we have, let us place a value on it, let us never exchange our peace for anything, and let us never exchange our democracy for anything.”
Mr Fatawu, a participant from Fielmuo, expressed his appreciation for the training, stating, "This training has opened our eyes to the importance of human rights and how we, as young people, can advocate for peaceful solutions to the challenges our communities face."
"The skills we have learned here will help us speak up for our communities, especially when we see injustice or conflict. We now know how to engage with local authorities to find solutions," Latif Lawrence Johowie, a participant from Jeffisi, said.
The training formed part of the UN Peace Building Project funded by the UN Peace Building Fund through the UNDP and UNFPA and being implemented by the National Peace Council.
The project aims to enhance social cohesion and social contract through the empowerment of women and youth in three northern regions of Ghana – North East, Upper East, and Upper West regions.
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