National Peace Council takes education on violent extremism to traders

The Ashanti Regional Secretariat of the National Peace Council, as part of its campaign against terrorism and violent extremism, has engaged market women at the Asafo Market in Kumasi.

The engagement, which was held for cold store operators and fish sellers in the market, sought to build the capacity of the women on prevention of terrorism and violent extremism.

As incidents of terrorism continue to rise in the West African Sub-Region, the Council is taking proactive steps to sensitise the public, especially public places with large gatherings to be on the lookout for suspicious characters who may be planning attacks in such places.

With funding from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Council has been engaging various stakeholders in the region on the need to be alert to prevent a possible terrorist attack in the country.

It also uses such engagements to educate the public on conflict prevention to protect the peace in the country, which could serve as fertile grounds for insurgents to launch their attacks when compromised.

Rev. Emmanuel Badu Amoah, Ashanti Regional Executive Secretary of the Council, reminded the women that the Anti-Terrorism Act (Act 726) enjoined every Ghanaian to prevent and pre-empt radicalised actions in Ghana.

He said the engagement with the women also sought to expose them to non-violent approach and mechanisms in resolving their differences while equipping them with security tips on counter-terrorism and violent extremism.
Conflict, he noted, was an inevitable phenomenon in every society and an equally important part of human existence, adding that, the outcome was not always destructive but brought social change.

“Conflicts may either increase or produce ineffective outcomes, or it can be handled in a helpful way.
However, the most important thing is to put in place mechanisms and peace infrastructure to manage such conflicts when they arise to prevent them from escalating into violence,” he stated.

He said with the looming threat of terrorism in the Sub-Region coupled with the challenges facing the country, it was imperative for every citizen to help sustain efforts by the government to mitigate existing and emerging threats to Ghana’s peace and security.

He said data from the latest global terrorism index indicated that the Sahel and West Africa Sub-Region had become the epicentre of terrorism and violent extremism with four countries in the top 10 countries in the world most impacted by terrorism.

“In times of conflicts, no one can be immune from the negative consequences and hence we need to collectively work towards maintaining peace in our nation,” he implored the women.

He said the citizenry had the responsibility to create the atmosphere of peace in the country to foster socio-economic development.