By Albert Futukpor
Tamale, June 05, GNA – Representatives of security agencies, civil society organisations, the media and civilians in the Northern Region have undergone a five-day training on civil-security engagement in preventing violent extremism.
The training sought to equip participants with the knowledge and skills to explain the nature, trends, and drivers of violent extremism in West Africa and Ghana, while critically analysing vulnerabilities to violent extremism, especially in the northern part of the country.
It also sought to deepen understanding of the principles of civilian-security engagement and social accountability, assess community-based strategies for preventing violent extremism and explore engagement processes between civilians and security actors through a gender-responsive approach.
It was organized under the Prevention of Violent Extremism Through Social Accountability (PoVETSA II) project, which is being implemented by Catholic Relief Services (CRS), in partnership with the National Peace Council and the Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Training Centre with funding support from the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The PoVETSA Il project aims to translate an iterative learning process into a trust-building mechanism for Ghanaian national peace building institutions, CSOs, security services and civilians.
It also seeks to bring together key stakeholders towards an integrated approach to improve public trust and civilian confidence in security services for the prevention of violent extremism.
Dr Francis Gumah, Head of Programming at CRS Ghana, speaking during the training, which ended in Tamale on Friday, underscored the importance of collaboration between civilians and security institutions in addressing the growing threat of violent extremism.
He said weak relations between civilians and security agencies could undermine democratic processes, reduce public trust and impede national development emphasizing need for security agencies to adopt the “Winning Hearts and Minds” approach to build public confidence in security institutions, improve accountability and enhance responsive service delivery.
Dr Gumah, drawing lessons from instability and violent extremism in the Sahel region, urged participants to remain vigilant and work collectively to prevent similar threats from emerging in Ghana.
Mr Augustine Owusu, Head of Programmes, Peace and Security Studies, Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre said the training course was built on the principle that trust between civilians and the security sector was essential for effectively preventing and responding to violent extremism.
Miss Adelaide Yiriyelleh, Project Manager, PoVETSA II project, said the training course was developed following a stakeholder dialogue on civil-military cooperation held a month earlier.
Ms Yiriyelleh said similar training would be organized for stakeholders in other regions in the northern part of the country.
She said while Ghana had not experienced major extremist attacks, the country remained vulnerable due to factors such as socioeconomic challenges, porous borders and the proximity to countries affected by extremist violence.
As part of the training, participants engaged in group discussions on topics including nature, trends, and drivers of violent extremism in West Africa and Ghana, social accountability in security governance, the role of communities and local institutions in preventing violent extremism, early warning, Community Resilience and Local Response Mechanisms, addressing youth vulnerability, gender dimensions and inclusion amongst others.
GNA
Edited by Eric K. Amoh/Kenneth Odeng Adade
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