By Albert Futukpor
Tamale, June 05, GNA – Representatives of Christian and Islamic faith groups in the Northern Region have undergone training in community mobilisation, negotiation, and advocacy, to strengthen their ability to engage duty-bearers and demand development projects for their communities.
The day’s training, organised by Faith in Action Ghana, a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO), as part of its Annual Regional Learning Festival, was aimed at empowering faith-based community groups to identify development challenges, engage authorities and advocate solutions through peaceful and constructive dialogue.
The participants numbering 26 were drawn from the Tamale Metropolis, and Sagnarigu and Savelugu Municipalities.
They were taken through practical sessions on community organisation, listening, negotiation, and engagement with public institutions to enable them effectively to represent the interests of their communities.
Participants, as part of the training, were divided into three groups representing government, community members and private companies where they simulated real-life negotiations on community development issues providing them with first-hand experience in dialogue, consensus building and advocacy.
The Right Reverend Dennis Debukari Tong, the Northern Regional Coordinator of Faith in Action Ghana and Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Tamale, at the training in Tamale, said it was to help the participants to learn from one another’s experiences, while strengthening their capacity to engage duty-bearers on issues affecting their communities.
Rt. Rev. Tong said the organisation brought together Muslims and Christians to promote peaceful coexistence and work collectively towards the development of their communities.
He said “We are building up their capacities in terms of negotiation. If you go to the district assembly to negotiate for a project, what are the processes involved? We are creating awareness so that they know what they want and have the skills to negotiate for whatever they need.”
He said Faith in Action Ghana worked through an “explore, listen and act” approach where community members were trained to identify challenges, engage residents through listening exercises, and collectively advocate solutions.
He said after receiving training, community members were thought to conduct listening exercises to gather views from residents on their most pressing development concerns before engaging the appropriate authorities.
Rt. Rev. Tong said the approach had yielded positive results in some communities citing Sagnarigu where faith groups successfully engaged authorities on sanitation challenges leading to improvements in waste management.
“We don’t just go and leave it. When we go to the district assembly and they say they will do something, we come back and follow up. We keep going in and out until we get something done,” he said.
Dame Agnes Gandaa, Vice Coordinator, Interfaith Ghana Alliance, who was facilitator at the training, described the training as critical, as it united people from different religious backgrounds to pursue common development goals.
She said faith leaders remained trusted in voices within communities and could play an important role in helping citizens identify development priorities and engage duty-bearers to address them.
She said participants had been tasked to develop action plans with clear timelines to guide activities in their respective communities after the training.
Miss Patricia Ajiiro, a participant from the Savelugu Municipality, described the training as enlightening and said it had broadened her understanding of community development and citizen participation.
She said the interactive nature of the training allowed participants to freely express their views and contribute to discussions.
She said “Things that I didn’t know, I have come to know them because I am in the community, but it is not everything that I know. From what I have observed, I have learned a lot.”
She said the knowledge acquired would help her encourage more women to become active participants in community development processes and decision-making.
Faith in Action Ghana is an interfaith platform comprising Muslim and Christian organisations working together to promote peaceful coexistence, social accountability and community-led development through dialogue, advocacy and citizen participation.
GNA
Edited by Eric K. Amoh/ Christabel Addo
Reporter: Albert Futukpor
Email: [email protected]