By Mohammed Balu
Tumu (UW/R), July 2, GNA – Professor Samuel Marfo, a conflict resolution expert and member of the Upper West Regional Peace Council, has called on Ghanaians, particularly religious leaders and residents of border communities, to embrace dialogue and collective action to safeguard peace.
He said sustainable peace required the active involvement of all segments of society in peacebuilding efforts.
Prof Marfo, a lecturer in Conflict Resolution at the University for Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS) in Wa, made the call at an interfaith dialogue training session organised in Tumu under the Atlantic Corridor Project.
The training brought together religious leaders, youth and women leaders, as well as other stakeholders from border communities, to strengthen local peacebuilding initiatives and enhance resilience against violent extremism.
Prof Marfo said religious leaders, women and young people played critical roles in conflict prevention, the identification of early warning signs and the promotion of peaceful coexistence within their communities.
Drawing examples from countries such as Nigeria, Liberia and Kenya, he noted that women and young people had significantly contributed to conflict prevention, peace negotiations and efforts to counter hate speech and misinformation across Africa.
He observed that although men were often the principal actors in violent conflicts, women and children frequently bore the greatest consequences, including displacement and various forms of abuse.
Prof Marfo therefore urged women and the youth to take active roles in promoting peace and preventing violence before it occurred.
He further noted that no religion promoted violence, stressing that misinformation and the misrepresentation of religious teachings by some individuals had often contributed to conflicts.
He encouraged faith leaders to use their platforms to spread messages of tolerance, unity and peaceful coexistence among their followers.
Prof Marfo described peace as more than the absence of violence, saying it encompassed respect for human rights, access to education, food, freedom and security.
“Without peace, life becomes meaningless because every aspect of development depends on it,” Prof Marfo said.
Reverend Father Bondzi Godfrey, Assistant Parish Priest of the Tumu Parish, said lasting peace began in the family, where children first learned values, attitudes and respect for others.
He said parents and communities had a responsibility to nurture the conscience of young people to reject violence and embrace peaceful coexistence.
Rev. Fr. Bondzi urged participants to become ambassadors of peace by promoting dialogue, understanding and mutual respect in their communities.
For his part, Maulvi Issahaque Yakubu, Zonal Missionary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission in Tumu, stressed that no true religion supported extremism or violence.
He called on Muslims and Christians alike to hold religious leaders accountable for messages that promoted hatred or division, saying such actions often served personal interests rather than the common good.
Maulvi Yakubu said genuine religious teachings promoted forgiveness, dialogue, tolerance and respect for differing views.
The Atlantic Corridor Project is being implemented with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and funded by the governments of Denmark and Norway to strengthen community resilience and promote peace in border communities across the region.
GNA
Edited by Lydia Kukua Asamoah
Reporter: Mohammed Balu
Email: [email protected]