National Peace Council Launches Local Peace Committee in Upper East to Combat Violent Extremism

The National Peace Council (NPC) has taken a significant step towards strengthening grassroots peacebuilding in Ghana's Upper East Region, establishing a Local Peace Committee (LPC) and a team of community monitors in Kongo within the Tempane District. The initiative followed a two-day capacity-building workshop designed to equip community members with the tools needed to prevent conflict and violent extremism.

The effort forms part of the broader Governance, Rule of Law and Peacebuilding for Sustainable Development Project, implemented by the NPC in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The project receives funding from the governments of Denmark, Norway, and South Korea.

Speaking at the close of the workshop, Mr Damien Asobayire, Upper East Regional Executive Secretary of the NPC, said the nine-member Local Peace Committee and 11 community monitors were carefully selected to reflect the diversity of the community — drawing from youth groups, women, minority communities, and various ethnic groups in the area. He stressed that inclusive representation was central to the committee's effectiveness.

Participants were trained in a range of peacebuilding competencies, including early warning systems, conflict analysis, mediation techniques, and strategies for countering violent extremism — including harmful online narratives. Mr Asobayire noted that the committee had already developed an action plan, with plans to tackle recurring petty disputes as well as the more entrenched farmland and land-related tensions identified by participants as a key source of conflict in the community.

Mr David Atualing Angaamba, Upper East Regional Principal Project Manager at the NPC, reminded committee members that mediators are facilitators of dialogue, not arbiters of judgement. He urged them to approach their roles with patience, honesty, and transparency to earn the trust of disputing parties.

Community members who took part in the training expressed confidence in the process. Ms Fati Asibobo, representing the Fulbe community on the committee, said the workshop had motivated her to become a champion for peace and social cohesion, while fellow member Mr Abubakari Aminu Duut pledged to work actively with residents to resolve disputes before they spiral into wider conflict.