The Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Kathleen Addy, has appealed to the citizenry to help sustain the prevailing peace in the country. 

“We want peace in Ghana because we don’t have anywhere to go,” she said. 

Ms Addy appealed for community engagement on Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism (PCVE) and issues regarding at-risk groups at Titiaka, a farming community in the Kadjebi District of the Oti Region. 

The programme was sponsored by the European Union and was being undertaken in 59 Districts in Ghana’s eight Northern Border Regions. 

The face-to-face engagement aims at engendering peace, tolerance and participation in the fight against violent extremism. 

She said citizens from other countries such as Nigeria, Togo, Benin, and Burkina Faso, among others, preferred coming to Ghana because of the relative peace we are having, so nothing should be done to disturb this peace. 

“Let us open our minds and be mindful that the upcoming 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary elections will not divide us,” she said. 

Ms Addy said as human beings, misunderstandings were bound to occur, but how they were resolved peacefully mattered most. 

She said there was a need to tolerate divergent views and respect others’ rights and legitimate interests. 

Mr Robert Kwesi Boame, the Oti Regional Director of the NCCE, called on the participants to report suspicious characters to lawful agencies for prompt action, as a threat of terrorists attacking communities was real. 

He said terrorist attacks in neighbouring countries such as Burkina Faso, Togo and Nigeria posed a serious threat to Ghana’s peace and security, and it called for security consciousness among the citizenry as the country was not immune to such attacks. 

Mr Setriakor Kwesi Gagakuma, the Deputy Oti Regional Director of NCCE asked the participants, especially the youth not to be lured into joining violent extremist groups, as they were the target of terrorist recruiters. 

He also advised landlords, opinion leaders and Chiefs to check the background of visitors who came to their communities, as terrorists often camouflaged themselves as visitors and carried out their activities unawares. 

Mr Sena Nyabi, the Chief of Titiaka appealed for the reshaping of the roads from Koto-Nkwanta to Titiaka, and the provision of a Teachers’ Bungalow for the Titiaka D/A Primary School. 

The participants commended the NCCE for organising the programme.