Members of the Wa Municipal Inter-Party Dialogue Committee (IPDC) have pledged their commitment towards safeguarding and promoting peace in the Municipality, the region and Ghana before, during and after the 2024 general election. Pledging their support for peace at a training session for the IPDC members in Wa, they recognised that peace was inevitable in the quest for personal and national development. The training was organised by the Wa Municipal Directorate of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) under the European Union (EU)-funded 'Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism Action in Northern Regions of Ghana (PCVE)' project. It centered on how to gather information, detect and report early warning signs of violence and security threats to the appropriate institutions, and prevent youth radicalisation among others. Alhaji Abdul Rahaman Harun, the Chairman of the IPDC, said the committee was clothed with the responsibility to foster peace hence the decision to bring together members from the diverse groups. He indicated that if peace would prevail in the region or the country, then justice must prevail among all groups including the political, religious and minority groups. Mr Ibrahim Daubile, a representative of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on the Committee, said the party had resolved to ensure peace prevailed before, during and after the 2024 election. 'The NPP has about 90 youth groups in Wa Central and we try to engage all these groups to let them know that while we want them to vote for our candidate, it is also important to maintain peace because the president has to rule over people,' Mr Daubile stated. Mr Abdulai Ibrahim, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) representative, said they had been engaging their supporters and communicators against actions that could mar the peace of the Municipality, the region and the country as peace was necessary for development. He, however, urged the NCCE to engage the 'big men' including those seeking political positions since they had the financial ability to buy weapons for the youth to cause violence. Mr Ibrahim also suggested that the NCCE should organise Inter-party games as part of efforts to promote peace during the electioneering. Madam Kutum Abdulai, a representative of Persons with Disability (PWDs), said PWDs prayed for peace in the country at all times since they would be adversely affected in the event of conflict. The religious leaders on the committee also took turns to pledge their commitment to promoting peace among their constituents. Professor Samuel Marfo, a Professor of Conflict Resolution at the SDD University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (SDD-UBIDS), who facilitated the training, encouraged the Committee members to be peace ambassadors within their jurisdictions. He indicated that if Ghanaians understood that election was not a matter of combatant they would not resort to violence and intimidations during elections. Prof. Marfo, also a member of the Upper West Regional Peace Council, emphasised the need for actions to promote peace in the Upper West Region due to its proximity to Burkina Faso, which was battling violent extremist activities and the influx of people from that country into Ghana through the region. He said experiences had shown that the youth have always been a major tool that people use to cause violence and there was the need for measures to address their vulnerabilities harnessing their youthful exuberance and creating jobs for the youth. Mr Nuurideen Mumuni, the Wa Municipal Director of NCCE, indicated that the training was necessary as part of efforts of the Commission in its peace campaign for the election 2024. He said the capacity training would enable the IPDC members to identify potential security threats to the region and the country and report such threats appropriately as well as engage their constituents in promoting peace. Mr Mumuni encouraged the members to take the work of the Committee very seriously since that could contribute to 'sustaining the country's peace at this crucial election season.' Source: Ghana News Agency