About 65 young men and women, drawn from 13 youth groups in the Pru East District in the Bono East Region, have pledged to promote peace to ensure the security and development of the area
The pledge was made in a communiqué issued at the end of an engagement with the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), under the ‘Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism’ programme in Yeji.
According to the District Director of the Commission, Mr. Emmanuel Nimoh, the threat of extremist activities by groups like Boko Haram, Islamic State, the Taliban and Al Shabab, especially in neighboring West African countries like Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Mali, Niger and Togo, makes it necessary for Ghana to be on high alert in order to prevent a similar fate or, at worst, contain it if it should happen.
He said the Commission, with the support of the European Union, carried out research on the issue, aimed at ascertaining the knowledge and attitudes of the people towards the problem, adding that it was based on the findings of the study that they were engaging various identifiable bodies to discuss ways through which the problem could be addressed.
Inspector Serwonuku Mordey of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), who spoke on violent extremism, said it was important for both individuals and communities to live in harmony with each other, and asked the community members to constantly be on the lookout for suspicious characters.
He said it would be important to train volunteers to provide security at places for mass gatherings like churches and mosques, and urged landlords to do thorough background checks on prospective tenants, especially foreigners.
Reverend Elijah Obeng Baffour-Adjei of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, speaking on peace building and national cohesion, indicated that peace was very essential to our existence as a people.
He said respect for the rights of others goes a long way in ensuring peace, which was a very vital ingredient for development.
Dr. Imurana Mohammed, Director of Programmes at the Commission, who graced the occasion, expressed his delight with the contributions of the participants, and urged them to carry the message to their various communities in order to increase awareness on the issue.
