Bolgatanga: A new initiative aimed at promoting peace, inclusion, and access to public services as part of efforts to tackle the growing socio-economic challenges and conflict risks facing Northern border communities has begun. Dubbed ‘Bridging the gap: promoting socio-economic inclusion, social cohesion and peacebuilding for vulnerable communities’, the project seeks to empower vulnerable communities by fostering socioeconomic inclusion, social cohesion, and resilience against violent extremism.
According to Ghana News Agency, the project is under the auspices of the Centre for Democratic Development Ghana (CDD-Ghana) with funding support from the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund. It is being implemented in the Upper East, Upper West, and North East Regions. In the Upper East Region, the project is being carried out by the Rural Initiatives for Self-Empowerment Ghana (RISE-Ghana), a human rights advocacy organisation, and will benefit six districts: Bawku, Builsa North and Kassena-Nankana Municipalities, and Bongo, Bolgatanga East, and Nabdam Districts.
Speaking during an Interface Engagement Regional Townhall Meeting held in Bolgatanga to unveil the project to stakeholders, Ms Jaw-Haratu Amadu, Head of Programmes at RISE-Ghana, said the project aims to strengthen cohesion and address root causes of localised conflict and exclusion in communities. She highlighted the acute socio-economic challenges, including high poverty and unemployment, faced by many communities in Northern Ghana, particularly those along the border regions.
The influx of refugees and asylum seekers from neighbouring Burkina Faso, coupled with longstanding ethnic and farmer-herder tensions in some communities, has strained local resources and social cohesion. In addition, marginalised groups including refugees, Fulbe pastoralists, and minority populations who often encounter discrimination and barriers in accessing public services, continue to fuel mistrust and potential conflict, and the situation requires collective efforts.
Ms Amadu emphasized that the initiative is particularly focused on marginalised populations such as Fulbe pastoralists, refugees, and minority ethnic groups who continue to face systemic barriers in accessing healthcare, education, and justice. She added that the project, which also seeks to provide skills training for the vulnerable communities, would offer income-generating avenues for the beneficiaries and help build their resilience against threats of violent extremism.
She said the project, which will end in 2027, will employ community dialogues, participatory planning, and inclusive policy engagement in its implementation to ensure that local governance becomes more responsive and equitable. The Town Hall Meeting brought together stakeholders from traditional authorities, district assemblies, the Ghana Education Service, and the Ghana Health Service, among others. The stakeholders expressed hope that the initiative would help reduce mistrust, foster unity, and pledged their support for the success of the project to enhance social cohesion and inclusive development.