Rev Prof Emmanuel Asante
Ghana has improved her ranking in the Global Peace Index (GPI), a research exercise measuring the level of peacefulness in given countries around the globe by the Institute of Economics & Peace based in Sydney, Australia.
“Ghana, generally, has been doing well on the GPI. In the 2018 GPI, the country made significant gains of six points to rank 41stin the world and 5th in Sub-Saharan African, after Mauritius, Botswana, Sierra Leone and Madagascar. Though as a country, Ghana has every reason to celebrate this feat, it is important to draw government’s attention to some present threats to peacefulness, which in our assessment, have the potential to derail the gains the country has made,” the National Peace Council (NPC) noted, sourcing the GPI report.’
The foregone was contained in an observation by the NPC in commemoration of the World Peace Day which falls today and themed ‘The Right to Peace-The Universal Declaration of Human Rights @70’.
The NPC in a statement authored by its chairman Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Asante noted that “Ghana, generally, has been doing well on the GPI. In the 2018 GPI the country made significant gains of six points to rank 41stin the world and 5th in Sub-Saharan African, after Mauritius, Botswana, Sierra Leone and Madagascar.’
Continuing Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Asante said: “Though as a country, Ghana has every reason to celebrate this feat, it is important to draw government’s attention to some present threats to peacefulness, which in our assessment, have the potential to derail the gains the country has made.”
Chieftaincy and land conflicts with their attendant violence in some parts of the country the NPA said “should be given the needed financial and technical attention” pointing at flashpoints such as the Bimbilla. The NPA explained that after the decision of the Supreme Court, it is important to ensure there is no relapse.
On Dagbon, the NPC said a Dagbon peace plan should be revived and followed. The Council appeals to the Eminent Chiefs led by the Asantehene to do all within their abilities to bring the parties back to the negotiation table to resolve the impasse.
The Council noted: “The Alavanyo and Nkonya conflict requires continuous attention to ensure that criminals do not use the conflict for their criminal activities”.
The Peace Council asserted that despite all the efforts of government to deal with the issues involving the so-called Vigilante Groups, these efforts do not seem to be generating the needed responses and dividends, adding “groups aligning themselves to political parties have sometimes taken the country to ransom and threatened the peace and stability of the state”.
The Council said: “Crime must be dealt with as crimes in the framework of the rule of law without consideration for political party affiliations, ethnicity or gender. We use the occasion to call on all the parties in the Sankore feud to give peace a chance and continue with the ongoing dialogue being facilitated by the Brong Ahafo Regional Peace Council”.
Another issue that the Peace Council would want to draw the attention of government to is the upcoming referenda and the creation of the new six regions in the country, adding “we urge government to take on board concerns being raised by those speaking for or against the process and ensure a peaceful process. Extremist religious and political tendencies are increasing in the Sub- Saharan region. We, therefore, encourage and urge government to increase its efforts in making the country more inclusive and participatory in decisions that affect the people”.
By A.R. Gomda