You are first beneficiaries of a peaceful environment; invest in peacebuilding – Supreme Court Judge charges private sector

Supreme Court Judge, Her Ladyship Justice Professor Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu has admonished the private sector in Ghana, Africa, and the world to take a keen interest in peacebuilding.

According to her, the private sector must invest in peacebuilding because they can only do their business and thrive when there is peace in the communities, they operate in.

“More and more, people are sharing the view that the private sector should invest more in peacebuilding since, they are “the first beneficiaries of a peaceful environment.” Some wars are prolonged because a war economy develops. That must surely mean that peace which represents the investment of the private sector would have local champions powerful enough to force compliance by economic muscle.

“Creating jobs to address post-conflict joblessness and its threat to peace can also be the contribution of the private sector. In short, wherever their investment goes, they are likely to keep a watchful eye on spoilers and those whose conduct can undermine the terrain of peace,” Her Ladyship Justice Professor Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu said on Monday, November 27.

She was delivering a keynote address at the Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa (MIASA) Conference on “Sustainable Regional Peacebuilding in Africa: Practices and Disconnects”

In her address, Her Ladyship Justice Professor Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu noted that the role of traditional authorities on the continent as vectors of conflict and agents of peace and development is acknowledged and appreciated.

She argued that they wield significant influence in most societies and have the authority and clout to encourage positive developments and make significant input in measures to sustain the peace when involved at critical stages in post-conflict peacebuilding.

“If they are part of the problem, they can also be part of the solution. Strategies for sustainable peace must set example for national leadership by being inclusive,” Her Ladyship Justice Professor Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu stressed.

In the quest for peace, she proposed that Civil Society Organisations should be involved, indicating they play critical roles in various aspects of reconstruction and building sustainable peace.

She said active civil society represented by CSOs is a great resource for assuring the utilisation of local knowledge, for mobilising communities to improve their own circumstances, and for building bridges of understanding in broken communities.

In her address, Her Ladyship Justice Professor Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu said sustainable peacebuilding is a necessary component of the peace agenda underlying any intervention by the international community.

She indicated that when undertaken with the outlined principles in mind, it holds real promise for reconstruction, either post-conflict or as a conflict-prevention measure as it enables the peace dividend to be enjoyed by the widest spread of the citizenry and thereby assures sustainable peace.

“Experience has shown that sustainable peacebuilding is more beneficial to host communities as peace is delivered as a coherent service rather than uncoordinated showtime initiatives that like torches, are lit and then flicker out leaving the surrounding area in more darkness than it used to be,” Her Ladyship Justice Professor Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu said to conclude her address.

In a speech read on behalf of the Provost of the Colleges of Humanities, he said in the era where conflict in the West African region appears not to be ending, the conference by MIASA on “Sustainable Regional Peacebuilding” is very important.

He said indeed, there is the need to address several key questions such as the challenges of implementing peace building amid violence.

“I’m happy the conference speaks to this and many more to promote peace and unity in Africa

“I’m optimistic that insights shared will contribute to successful practices that will help in shaping the future of peacebuilding on the continent,” the Provost of the Colleges of Humanities, Prof. Daniel Ofori said in his speech read on his behalf by Dr. Grace Diabah, one of the Directors of MIASA.

Speaking at the Conference, MIASA Director Dr. Susann Baller assured that the Institute is committed to making African thinking increasingly relevant in the global academic world.

Dr. Susann Baller

She explained that this is why MIASA encourages intellectual exchange across existing boundaries: between disciplines, between different academic cultures, countries, and continents, between established and younger researchers as well as between researchers, policy-makers, and various social interest groups.

In her address, Dr. Susann Baller expressed appreciation to Her Ladyship Justice Professor Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu for gracing the conference and also thanked the Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy (LECIAD) for the collaboration to organise the conference.

MIASA conference on “Sustainable Regional Peacebuilding in Africa”, has been organised by the MIASA’s ninth Interdisciplinary Fellow Group (IFG 9).

This Conference is a two-day event that focuses on environment and peacebuilding, doing gender relationally for sustainable peace, sustainable peace in the midst of violence, among other topics.