By: Emmnauel Akayeti
The National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) has organized a sensitization session for the Bolgatanga Midwifery Training College students in the Upper East Region.
The sensitization touched on peace-building mechanisms and gender dimensions on violent extremisms: strategies for enhancing social cohesion and early warning.
As part of sensitization for the tertiary level institutions on preventing and containing violent extremism.
The whole of the West Africa sub-region is submerged in violent extreme activities. Against this backdrop, the NCCE with funding support from the European Union, carried out research in January this year which indicates that Ghana is not immune from violent extremism.
This is due to the fact that all the factors that befall other countries are present here in Ghana, and the State cannot sit unconcern.
The Upper East Regional Director of the NCCE, Mawuli Abgenu explained that, preventing and containing violent extremism is been rolled out in eight regions of Ghana, and five regions of the north including Bono, Bono East, and Oti.
The peculiar situation with border communities especially the Upper East Region he said is that we border Burkina Faso and Togo and both countries are suffering from violent extremism which already has a spill-over effect in Ghana with refugees scattered around Bawku and its environs.
The Regional Director indicated that it was necessary for sensitizations to be carried out for the youth and communities in order to create some resilience in our societies to identify early warning signs countering violent extremism within the communities
Professor David Millar of Millar Institute for Transdisciplinary and Development Studies of Millar Open University (MITDS/MOU), stated that the youth get more encouraged by the elderly sharing their experience on how they the youth can be a solution to their problems than long speeches.
Professor Millar said the causes of violent extremism are often associated with the youth, particularly the girls who are being used extensively to propagate and support their actions.
He stated for Ghana to prepare for any eventuality, the focus should be centered on the youth and deal with the negativities that make them prone to violent extremisms.
Against this backdrop, Prof Millar commended NCCE for taking the lead in this regard in their small way despite logistical constraints, there is still a lot more to be done.
Rather than giving long sermons from books, elders should share experiences and examples of how the youth are able to provide solutions to the pending problems, he concluded.
