Tamale: Representatives of security agencies, civil society organisations, the media, and civilians in the Northern Region have completed a five-day training on civil-security engagement aimed at preventing violent extremism. The training focused on equipping participants with the necessary knowledge and skills to understand the nature, trends, and drivers of violent extremism in West Africa and Ghana, with a particular emphasis on vulnerabilities in the northern part of the country.
According to Ghana News Agency, the training aimed to deepen understanding of civilian-security engagement principles and social accountability. It also assessed community-based strategies for preventing violent extremism and examined the engagement processes between civilians and security actors through a gender-responsive approach. The initiative was part of the Prevention of Violent Extremism Through Social Accountability (PoVETSA II) project, implemented by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in collaboration with the National Peace Council and the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, with funding support from the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The PoVETSA II project seeks to translate an iterative learning process into a trust-building mechanism for Ghanaian national peace-building institutions, CSOs, security services, and civilians. It aims to unite key stakeholders towards an integrated approach to enhance public trust and civilian confidence in security services for the prevention of violent extremism.
Dr. Francis Gumah, Head of Programming at CRS Ghana, emphasized the importance of collaboration between civilians and security institutions in addressing the growing threat of violent extremism during the training, which concluded in Tamale on Friday. He highlighted that weak relations between civilians and security agencies could undermine democratic processes, reduce public trust, and impede national development. Dr. Gumah stressed the need for security agencies to adopt the 'Winning Hearts and Minds' approach to build public confidence, improve accountability, and enhance responsive service delivery.
Dr. Gumah also urged participants to remain vigilant and work collectively to prevent similar threats from emerging in Ghana, drawing lessons from instability and violent extremism in the Sahel region. Mr. Augustine Owusu, Head of Programmes, Peace and Security Studies at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, stated that the training course was based on the principle that trust between civilians and the security sector is essential for effectively preventing and responding to violent extremism.
Miss Adelaide Yiriyelleh, Project Manager of the PoVETSA II project, mentioned that the training course was developed following a stakeholder dialogue on civil-military cooperation held a month earlier. She noted that similar training sessions would be organized for stakeholders in other regions in the northern part of the country. Ms. Yiriyelleh emphasized that while Ghana had not experienced major extremist attacks, the country remained vulnerable due to factors such as socioeconomic challenges, porous borders, and proximity to countries affected by extremist violence.
Participants engaged in group discussions on topics including the nature, trends, and drivers of violent extremism in West Africa and Ghana, social accountability in security governance, the role of communities and local institutions in preventing violent extremism, early warning, community resilience and local response mechanisms, addressing youth vulnerability, gender dimensions, and inclusion.