Invest in peace, invest in the Savannah Region: Peace must be the first development investment

Damongo (S/R), Sept 23 - As the world marks the 2026 International Day of Peace under the theme: “Invest in Peace: For Everyone, Everywhere, Every Day”, we call on government, traditional and religious authorities, development partners, civil society, the private sector, communities and all citizens of the Savannah Region to place peace, social cohesion and human security at the very heart of the region’s development agenda.

The Savannah Region is endowed with extraordinary opportunities. Its vast natural resources, agricultural potential, ecological assets, tourism possibilities, strategic location, rich cultural heritage and youthful human capital position it as a potential growth pole with enormous prospects for inclusive and sustainable development. Yet, these opportunities will not automatically translate into prosperity.

Development requires peace. Investment requires stability. Innovation requires security. And human potential requires an environment in which people can live, work, learn, trade and dream without fear. Our own recent reality confirmed by experience of societies across the world demonstrates that where peace and social cohesion deteriorate, development gains become vulnerable. Resources that should build schools, hospitals, roads, businesses and livelihoods are diverted towards responding to conflict and insecurity. Communities become divided, economic activity is disrupted, young people lose opportunities and the confidence required for long-term investment is weakened.

For the Savannah Region, therefore, peace cannot be treated as a secondary social concern or an issue to be addressed only after development has taken place. Peace is itself a development investment and a precondition for development. The United Nations' 2026 International Day of Peace message makes this connection very clear: peace is more than the absence of war; it is about safety, dignity, opportunity and cooperation, and it requires deliberate investment in people, relationships, trust building, institutions, dialogue and sustainable development.

OUR DIVERSITY MUST BECOME OUR STRENGTH, NOT OUR DIVIDING LINE

The Savannah Region's cultural and ethnic diversity is one of its greatest assets. The different peoples, traditions, histories, languages, customs, institutions and identities that make up the region represent a tremendous reservoir of knowledge, creativity, resilience and social capital. That diversity must not be allowed to become a source of division, violence, suspicion or competition. Our diversity is not a development problem to be managed; it is a development asset to be harnessed.

The task before the region is to build a culture in which every ethnic and cultural community feels respected, recognized, protected and included in the region's development story. We must move from merely living alongside one another to meaningfully building together, by acknowledging and dealing with the very things which divide and antagonize us. Our traditional authorities, political leaders, religious leaders, especially the youth organisations, women’s groups, civil society organisations, educational institutions, businesses and community actors including families all have important roles to play in building bridges across ethnic and cultural boundaries.The socialization process that contributed to the present challenges must begin to change if we are minded and committed to save posterity from the worse forms of the current social tensions and mistrust. We must deliberately create platforms where communities can listen to one another, address grievances peacefully, challenge stereotypes, prevent misinformation and resolve disagreements before they escalate. No community can develop sustainably at the expense of another. No ethnic group can secure a prosperous future in isolation. The future of the Savannah Region must be a shared future.

FROM NATURAL ENDOWMENT TO SHARED PROSPERITY

The region’s natural endowments can become a powerful engine of transformation if they are combined with its human and cultural capital in an environment of peace and cooperation. Agriculture, agro-processing, tourism, forestry, renewable energy, trade, entrepreneurship and other emerging opportunities require stable communities, predictable relationships, secure investments and people who have confidence in one another. This is why we must begin to see peace infrastructure as development infrastructure.

Investing in early-warning and early-response systems, community dialogue, mediation, peace education, youth engagement, women's participation, accountable and inclusive leadership and social cohesion should be regarded as essential components of development planning - not optional activities that receive attention only when conflict/violence breaks out.

Development actors should, therefore, ask not only: “What infrastructure are we building? but also: What peace infrastructure will sustain it? Not only: How many jobs are created? but also: Are the conditions created able to afford different communities the ability to participate in and benefit from those opportunities together? And not only: How much are we investing in economic growth? but also: How much are we investing in the peace and social cohesion that make that growth sustainable?

A CALL TO DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS
On this International Day of Peace, we call on development partners and financing institutions supporting the Savannah Region to mainstream peace and conflict sensitivity across development investments. Peacebuilding should not be confined to stand-alone projects. Every major development intervention should consider its implications for social cohesion, inclusion, community relationships and local conflict dynamics.

We urge development actors to increase investment in community-based peacebuilding and conflict prevention; early-warning and early-response mechanisms; inclusive dialogue involving traditional authorities, women and young people; peace education and civic education; livelihoods and economic opportunities for vulnerable and at-risk young people; programmes that strengthen cooperation across ethnic and cultural communities; women's meaningful participation in peacebuilding and decision-making; responsible communication and measures against misinformation and hate speech especially on ethnic and political based platforms; research and data to identify emerging social and security risks; and functional institutions and local structures capable of helping support our traditional structures to mediate all disputes before they become violent. Every cedi invested in preventing violent conflict is an investment in protecting every other development cedi.

A CALL TO LEADERSHIP
We further call on political, traditional, religious and community leaders to recognize that their words and actions can either widen divisions or build bridges. Leadership in the Savannah Region must be measured not only by the projects delivered but also by the relationships strengthened, the tensions prevented, the young people given hope, and the communities brought together. The region needs leadership that sees beyond immediate interests and recognizes that peace is a generational responsibility. We must reject narratives that reduce our communities to competing ethnic interests. We must resist attempts to exploit identity, history or grievances for short-term advantage. And we must strengthen channels for dialogue wherever disagreements emerge.

A CALL TO THE PEOPLE OF THE SAVANNAH REGION

Peace is not the responsibility of government and development organisations alone. It is built in our homes, schools, markets, farms, workplaces, places of worship, traditional institutions and communities. Every citizen has a role. The choice to listen rather than provoke; to reconcile rather than retaliate; to verify information rather than spread rumours; to respect another person's identity rather than denigrate it; and to resolve disagreements through dialogue rather than violence is an investment in peace. Peace, is therefore, everyone's business.

THE SAVANNAH REGION CANNOT AFFORD TO LOSE ITS FUTURE

The Savannah Region stands at an important development crossroads. Its enormous potential can be accelerated by cooperation, trust, stability and shared purpose - or weakened when differences become sources of division and insecurity. We, therefore, urge all development actors to recognize a fundamental principle that: Peace is not the reward that comes after development. Peace is the foundation upon which development is built. If we want greater investment, we must invest in stability. If we want thriving businesses, we must invest in peaceful communities. If we want our young people to become entrepreneurs, professionals, farmers, innovators and leaders, we must invest in a society where they can pursue their aspirations safely. If we want to unlock the region’s natural resources, we must build the social relationships and institutions that ensure those resources become sources of shared prosperity rather than sources of division. And if we want the Savannah Region to realize its full potential, we must make peace an explicit development priority.

This International Day of Peace, therefore, should not end with ceremonies and statements.

Let it mark a renewed commitment to invest in peace - everywhere, for everyone, every day. Let us embrace our diversity. Let us harness our natural endowments. Let us invest in our people. Let us strengthen trust across communities. Let us prevent conflict before it destroys lives and livelihoods. And let us build a Savannah Region where diversity becomes a source of strength, natural resources become engines of shared prosperity, and peace becomes the foundation of lasting development.

The Savannah Region has the potential, the people are the greatest asset; the resources are available, the opportunity is before us but peace must hold it all together. Invest in Peace. Invest in the Savannah Region.