The national peace council has launched an electronic conflicts map of Ghana aiming to support the peace council in peace building in the country-Ghana.
The map is online versions of a detailed research document, mapping conflicts in Ghana; develop by the University Of Cape Coast for the National Peace council with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The map will offers Ghanaians the unique opportunity of understanding the causes of conflicts, the actors involved as well as various peace building approaches undertaken, which will help stakeholder to fashion out solutions before conflicts escalate. The version will be updated regularly and can be accessed by anyone anywhere, providing useful inputs for planning.
Beside the digital conflict map, UNDP has supported the establishment of ten Regional and four Districts peace council secretariats with full complement of technical staff in place, including boards of nine regional peace councils.
The National Peace council is object to facilitate and develop mechanisms for conflicts prevention, management, and resolution to build sustainable peace in the country. The council is also to strengthen capacities for conflict prevention, management, resolution and sustaining peace in the country including but not limited to chiefs, women, youth groups and community organizations as it functions.
It is also to facilitate the amicable resolution of conflict through mediation and other processes including indigenous mechanism for conflict resolution and peace building among other relative functions.
The chairman of the council Most Rev. Prof. Asante speaking at the launching said, to build sustainable peace in this country, there is the need to adopt a down-to top approach, because peace cannot come from without, it must begin from within our local communities, districts and regions, hence the need to establish the regional and district peace councils to make use to local experiences and expertise in the management of conflicts at the local level.
He stated that, in spite of the international recognition of Ghana as a relatively stable democracy and peaceful country, there is a myriad of perennial violent conflicts which confronts us as a country.
He said, the conflict map is to serve as a guide for all citizens of Ghana, the security services, businesses among others. The map will become handy to the regional minister, the police commander or the banks to scan thoroughly the environment in which they find themselves or service needed.
This is a unique tool that has been developed by Explainer DC to electronically present all the conflicts in the country and just by a click to gain access.
He pleaded that the launching will do away with violent conflicts and to recognize that, conflict is an undeniable fact of our societal existence.