FOSDA trains Peace Ambassadors in Ashaiman

By Iddi Yire, GNA
Accra, Sept 29, GNA - The Foundation for Security and Development (FOSDA), a civil society organisation, has held a two-day training workshop for 'Peace Ambassadors' in the Ashaiman Municipality.

The workshop, which brought together 30 youth within the age gap of 18 to35, aimed at ensuring that the youth have the capacity, the skills and logistics to become active promoters of peaceful, fair and free electoral processes as Peace Ambassadors.

The training programme, which is under FOSDA's "The Ballots not Bullets" sought to promote and contribute to peaceful elections in Ghana.

"The Ballots not Bullets" campaign initiative was started by FOSDA in 2004, and had been highly successful in empowering Ghanaians to participate directly in ensuring peaceful elections over the years.

This, year's edition, dubbed: "Ghana 2016 Youth in Peaceful Elections Campaign," is being supported by the United States Agency for International Development and Reacting to Early Warning and Response Data in West Africa.

Aside Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region, other participating constituencies include Ahafo Ano North and Bekwai in Ashanti, Akwatia and Atiwa in the Eastern, Tamale Central and Yendi in the Northern, Bawku and Bolgatanga in the Upper East, and Anlo and Nkwanta North in the Volta Regions.

These selected constituencies form part of the more than 5000 flashpoints identified by the police ahead of the 2016 general election.

Speaking at the event, Mr Ibrahim Baidoo, the Ashaiman Municipal Chief Executive urged the youth to coexist peacefully and to help preserve the peace of the nation.

He recounted that since the 2008 general election to date, Ashaiman had not witness any electoral violence.

He urged people of the Municipality to ensure that this year's election comes off peaceful, so that Ashaiman name would be off the police list of flashpoints.

He said Ashaiman had become a brisk business centre and that is why many banks are moving in to open branches.

Ms Afi Yakubu, the Executive Director of FOSDA, said under the programme, the Foundation would focus on building sustainable relationships and collaboration between civil society organisations, the National Peace Council, the National Youth Authority and other relevant stakeholders to effectively manage conflicts before, during and after the 2016 general election and beyond in the 12 constituencies.

She explained that such intense engagement at the constituency level is expected to make the target constituencies more resilient to violence even beyond the electioneering period.

She said the Foundation would be training at least 200 "Peace Ambassadors" from the selected constituencies, in order to build their capacities to promote and implement actions towards peaceful election and post-election reconciliation.

Ms Yakubu said indicators that led to violence in some African countries are rife in Ghana.

She said internationally, Ghana's democracy, which could be described as a matured democracy by all standards, still has indicators that led to violence in some countries.

This, she attributed to the use of intemperate language by politicians.

Mr Bright Asare, the Greater Regional Coordinator, National Youth Authority advised the youth to desist from any form of violence; declaring that peace is a prerequisite for national development.

Mr Umar Adàmu, the Director, Ghana Youth Integrity Campaign, on behalf of his colleague youth, pledged to ensure peace before, during and after the 2016 general election.

FOSDA was established in 2001 by a group of Diaspora concerned about the conflicts in West Africa at the end of the twentieth century.

FOSDA is a non-profit organisation formed to examine the causes of these conflicts and further the capacity of African institutions and civil society organisations in the field of human security and development.

GNA