Central Region is an enviable oasis of peace in Ghana – NPC 

Cape Coast-Ghana, Dec. 09, GNA – Right Reverend Richardson Andam, the newly elected Chairman of the Central Regional Peace Council, said the Council will work to maintain peace and tranquility in the region.
While it was gratifying that the region remained the most peaceful in the country, he said a lot more remained to be done by well-meaning Ghanaians to maintain the enviable feat.
“Peace is our identity and we should protect this identity. It is the responsibility of every Ghanaian to ensure that the nation remains peaceful to drive its growth and development.”
“It is not only the duty of those in government but the governed as well,”  Rev Andam said in his acceptance speech after the swearing in ceremony of the 13-member Regional Peace Council Board.
Right Rev Andam, also the Bishop of the Cape Coast Diocese of the Methodist Church-Ghana,  said peace and security were two ingredients investors looked out for before investing their resources, which Ghana already had, making it an attractive investment destination.
“Achieving true peace entails much more than laying down arms. It required a body of societies where all feel equal, creating a world in which people are not treated differently regardless of their race, or political affiliation,” he noted.
Highlighting their commitments, Rev Andam pledged the Council’s resolve to strengthen collaboration with security agencies, government institutions, traditional authorities, and civil society organisations, especially faith-based organisations, to facilitate the attainment of sustainable peace in the country.
The regional peace councils had been essential in conflict resolution since most conflicts were local in nature, requiring early warning mechanisms as well as human and material resources to promptly respond to them.
Rev. Andam said the inauguration was timely considering the threats posed by terrorism and violent extremism activities in the Sahel and other neigbhouring countries.
He said the threat to terrorism and violent extremism had heightened with growing fears of spread of those groups across the sub-region, including Ghana.
“Other notable domestic threats, which promote fertile grounds for violent extremism are chieftaincy and ethnic clashes, farmer-herder conflicts, violent demonstrations, armed robberies, proliferation of arms and drug trafficking,” he added.
He mentioned the significant roles that young people could play in peace and conflict resolution and called for their training to serve as change agents, thereby empowering them to change people’s attitudes.
He commended the old executives for the immeasurable services during their tenure and appealed for more support from government and corporate Ghana to deliver on their mandate.