The Chairman of the National Peace Council (NPC), Most Rev. Emmanuel Fianu, has revealed that the Council is struggling to resolve more than 300 conflict cases nationwide due to severe staffing and funding shortages.

Rev. Fianu stated that the Council’s ability to mediate disputes has been crippled by decades of underinvestment, leaving the institution overstretched at a time when local disputes and communal tensions continue to rise.

“We do not have the human resources to deal with everything on our desk,” he said. “Mediation delayed is mediation denied.”

According to him, the NPC currently has only 83 permanent staff, far below the 400 personnel needed to adequately cover regional operations. The Council also lacks district offices, despite its nationwide caseload requiring nearly 1,000 staff to function effectively.

Rev. Fianu noted that the Council’s 2025 budget challenges have further slowed its work. Out of the GH₵5 million allocated for the year, only about half has been released as of November. The funds received so far cover mainly salaries and basic office operations, leaving little for field mediation, community engagement, conflict-prevention training, and emergency response interventions.

“If we have to resolve a conflict, it is from the same money,” he said. “And if the disbursement delays, our work delays.”

He also raised concerns about the state of the Peace Fund, which was created two years ago under Act 818 to help strengthen the Council’s financial independence. So far, the Fund has mobilised only GH₵400,000, an amount Rev. Fianu described as “woefully insufficient” for nationwide peacebuilding and mediation efforts.

He spoke to TV3.

The backlog of unresolved cases spans chieftaincy disputes, land conflicts, community tensions, and political disagreements—issues that often require prompt intervention to prevent escalation.

The NPC chairman called for stronger government support, improved funding flows, and increased staffing to ensure the Council can carry out its mandate effectively, especially as Ghana prepares for heightened political activities in the coming year.

He warned that without timely intervention, unresolved conflicts risk worsening at the community level.

“We need the resources to be present on the ground,” Rev. Fianu stressed. “Peacebuilding is not cheap, but the cost of unresolved conflict is far higher.”

The NPC says it remains committed to its constitutional duty but needs the necessary support to operate at full strength.