The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has observed that Ghana's ability to prevent internal conflicts from escalating is key to preventing violent extremism and terrorism and deepening the prevailing peace. Ms Sadia Baba Sampanah, the Bolgatanga East District Director of the Commission who made the observation noted that when pockets of conflicts including chieftaincy and land disputes were not well managed and resolved amicably, they could create a breeding ground for extremists and terrorists to explore. She, called on all stakeholders especially the youth to be agents of peace and play crucial roles to preventing conflicts in their respective communities. Ms Sampanah said this at Zuarungu when the Commission with funding support from the European Union engaged some young people in the district on raising awareness on violent extremism. It was part of the Commission's awareness creation and sensitisation efforts dubbed, 'Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism ((PCVE) with the objective of preventing and containing violent extremism through the promotion of social cohesion, peace and tolerance in Northern Ghana and other hotspots. The District Director noted that stakeholders needed to fashion out policies geared at addressing youth unemployment, to ensure that they were not vulnerable to the enticement of the extremists. 'Most of the youth after school, have no jobs and immediately someone comes and entice them with money, they are eager to do whatever is asked of them and they are ones the extremists target to cause violence,' she said. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Charles Simpa, the Bolgatanga East District Commander, Ghana Police Service, noted that the national security had begun a campaign aimed at preventing the spill over of activities of extremists into the country and needed stakeholders' support to succeed. He said apart from the Police increasing surveillance and patrols in some hard to reach communities in the district to fight crime, the police had been encouraging the public to volunteer information to assist the Police. Mr David Amoah, the Bolgatanga East District Chief Executive, noted that tolerance was key to preventing conflicts and urged the participants not to allow themselves to be used to foment trouble and destabilise the country.

Source: Ghana News Agency