The Canadian High Commission has commended the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP)-Ghana for its dedication and playing a key role in Ghana’s democratic process. Pasquale Salvaggio, Counsellor, Political and Public Affairs at the Commission encouraged WANEP-Ghana not to relent on its efforts in ensuring peace.  “We are very pleased to be supporting this project, which is one of five Canada Fund for Local Initiative (CFLI) projects focused on promoting inclusive participation and peaceful elections,” he said. He added, “The projects in Ghana are being implemented in various areas, particularly those that have registered low electoral participation by vulnerable and marginalized groups especially women and people living with disabilities.” The Counsellor was speaking at the launch of the ‘Strengthening Early Warning and Conflicts Response During Ghana Elections’ Project. The same event witnessed the launch of Project Inception Meeting with National Leadership of Political Parties and Stakeholders in Accra. The project is aimed at strengthening the Network’s National Early Warning Systems (NEWS). It also targets enhancing the capacity of civil society and other state institutions to promote human security, conflict prevention and peacebuilding. It is being one of the CFLI projects funded by the Canadian government. According to Mr Salvaggio, the Initiative promotes small-scale but high-impact schemes formulated and designed primarily by local partners and centred on topics including human rights, inclusive governance and democracy. He said supporting nonviolent pluralism was a goal of this scheme as was promoting the voices of traditionally defenceless citizens, including the voice of women. The Counsellor lauded Ghana for positioning itself as the beacon of democracy on the African continent. “The world is looking to Ghana to maintain this status and to continue to run elections that are inclusive, peaceful, free and fair,” he said. Mr Salvaggio is convinced that the project that allows the deliberations with key stakeholders in the country’s democracy and the rest of WANEP’s project would contribute immensely to ensuring peaceful and inclusive elections in the project areas of Volta, Western, Brong-Ahafo and Ashanti regions and generally across Ghana. On his part, Vincent Azumah, West Africa Regional Coordinator, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation of WANEP, said they get excited when partners such as the Canadian High Commission team up with them and other peace-loving institutions to work towards ensuring peace election next year. “What is more refreshing to note is that our Canadian partners believe in the fact that we cannot wait until a few weeks to an election to commence working for peaceful elections. Peacebuilding is not an event; it is a process.  “That is why we at WANEP have designed our Early Warning and Response system that supports Ghana and the West Africa region through the ECOWAS early warning system, ECOWARN and Africa through the AU’s African Reporter.”