Mr Ali Anankpieng, the Executive Secretary, Upper East Regional Peace Council, said the youth had critical roles to play in maintaining peace and security, particularly this electioneering period.
Interacting with students of the C.K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences at Navrongo as part of the International Youth Day celebration, Mr Anankpieng said it was crucial not to make the country volatile for extremists to take advantage of.
The engagement formed part of sensitisation of students on violent extremism, implemented by the National Peace Council under the Atlantic Corridor Project, dubbed: “Preventing and responding to violent extremism”.
It is sponsored by the governments of Australia, Norway, Denmark and Germany through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
This year’s theme is: “Digital Pathways to Sustainable Future”.
Although Ghana has not been attacked by violent extremists, Mr Anankpieng said the activities and instability caused by the extremists in the Subregion such as Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali was a wake-up call for Ghana to safeguard its territory.
He said Ghana was not immune to external attacks, hence the need to sensitise the youth to engage in peaceful mechanisms in resolving grievances and demand better living conditions to prevent violence and conflicts.
“We believe that the youth are the targets of institutions or organisations that are seeking to get recruits for their violent activities,” Mr Anankpieng said.
“So, we believe that if we are able to understand what the concept is and the dangers involved, they will be able to take preventive measures to avoid getting themselves involved”.
Mr Joshua Naadu, the Kassena-Nankana Municipal Commander, National Intelligence Bureau, explained that preventing violent extremism and terrorism was a collective responsibility and urged the students to support the security agencies to fight crime in their localities.
He said the Ministry of National Security had developed a slogan termed “See something say something” and advised the students to report suspicious characters and within their communities and schools to the security agencies for investigation and actions.
Deputy Superintendent of Immigration, Mr Jerry Attipoe, Officer-In-Charge of Ghana Immigration Service, Kassena-Nankana Municipal, said due to the porous borders, smuggling through unapproved borders was one of the major challenges in fighting crime at the borders.
