The President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, Most Rev. Dr. Mathew Adu Gyamfi, has advised members of the reconstituted Bono Regional Peace Council to be neutral and have no commitment towards any political party during their four-year term.

He mentioned their neutrality as part of the pillars he has identified for the establishment and guarantee of peace in the region. 

Bono Region is relatively one of the peaceful regions in Ghana, though there are many protracted and intractable conflicts ranging from chieftaincy, land, and electoral violence, which requires council members’ help to prevent and manage for sustainable peace.  

He said, “Even though you are constitutionally established, try to be apolitical in the resolution of all things (conflicts)”.

Most Rev. Adu Gyamfi, also the Catholic Bishop of Sunyani, said truth is the first pillar in resolving conflicts.

He entreated them to always establish and uphold the truth in the discharge of their functions.

He also observed that freedom, love, and justice are the other pillars necessary for peace.

Though the task may look daunting, the Bishop pleaded with them to help initiate, build, and prepare a generation of peaceful people who love and can appreciate what is peaceful.

He assured the council members of the support of all religious bodies and the backing of the government to achieve their task to ensure peace in the region.

The Catholic Bishop offered the advice during the inauguration of the council members at a brief ceremony at the Regional Coordinating Council in Sunyani, witnessed by other stakeholders on Monday, December 12, 2022.

In all, thirteen (13) individuals took the official oath, the oath of allegiance, and the oath of secrecy, administered by Nana Agyakoma Dufie II, a member of the governing board of the National Peace Council (NPC).

The composition of the members of the Regional Peace Council is derived from the NPC Act, 2011, article 9 of Act 818.

The Bono Regional chairperson is Prof. Mrs. Mercy Afua Adutwumwaa Derkyi from the University of Energy and Natural Resources, Sunyani.

Other members are Very Rev. Seth Afful Sackey (Christian Council), Peter Damoah-Afari (African Tradition Religion), Imam Mohammed Issaka (Tijaaniya Muslim), Apostle Dr. Jackson Nkansah (National Council for Christian and Charismatic Churches), Nana Yaa Ansuaa II (Queenmothers Association) and Nana Bofo Bene IV (Regional House of Chiefs).

The rest are Mamaa Afari-Gyan, (RCC, Attorney General’s Department), Major Edith Gyamera (RCC, 3BN, Liberation Barracks), Imam Ibrahim Saeed Abdul-Rahman (Al-sunnah Muslims), Ahmed Opoku (Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission), Rev. Alex Gyabaa (Ghana Pentecostal Council), and Very Rev. Fr. Thomas Oppong-Febiri (Catholic Bishops Conference).

Nana Agyakoma Dufie II noted that resolving Ghana’s perennial conflicts require the need to identify the root causes and ensure that the national capacity to identify and resolve them is improved.

She reiterated the great task ahead to the new council members, adding, “It is very essential to our survival and development as a society”.

She, however, expressed optimism about their capability to deliver their mandate and move the bar a notch higher from where their predecessors left it, due to their profiles, enthusiasm, and the support received over the years from the people of Bono.

While thanking the previous members for their sacrifices, dedication, and services, Nana Agyakoma Dufie II, also assured that the NPC will collaborate more with the chiefs to ensure stable and relative peace in the region, especially in dealing with chieftaincy disputes.