The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has urged Ghanaians to inculcate in themselves peace building mechanisms to ensure sustained development and economic growth.

"Peace and tolerance are good human and Ghanaian cultural values that propel growth within communities and the country at large and all stakeholders need to view peace building as a shared responsibility and work towards maintaining it to prevent the infiltration of violent extremists and terrorists".

Ms Sadia Sampanah, the Bolgatanga East District Director of the NCCE made the call at Zuarungu at an engagement with members of the Interparty Dialogue Committee (IPDC) as part of efforts to contribute to preventing electoral violence and providing security to the Northern Border Regions of Ghana.

The event which brought together the security agencies, party functionaries, traditional and religious leaders, the district assembly, assembly members, youth groups, women groups among others had financial sponsorship from the European Union (EU).

The District Director said members of the IPDC ought to be ambassadors of peace and educate the youth on the signals of activities of terrorism and extremism to ensure that they were not recruited to perpetuate violence.

"As patriotic citizens, it is incumbent on us to have community based mechanisms for countering violent extremism by reporting early warning signs to the law enforcement agencies," she said.

Ms Sampanah advised residents to take personal security seriously and report any suspicious characters to the security agencies for prompt investigation and action.

Mr Victor Nuworkpor, the Regional Deputy Director of the NCCE, said it was only when there was peace that Ghana could effectively fight violent extremism which he described as the "common enemy".

He said all terrorists and extremists attacked the northern part of the victim countries and cited for instance that the terrorists that attacked neighbouring countries such as Nigeria, Maki, Niger and Mali, attacked the northern part of those countries.

He said security in the northern part of Ghana must be prioritized to ensure that similar situation did not occur.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Mr Charles Simpa, the Bolgatanga East District Police Commander, said unemployment and inequality were some of the factors that caused violence and the government needed to create enabling environment for the youth to channel their energy and skills into meaningful ventures.

He said Ghana had enjoyed relative peace over the years, but should not take its security for granted and called for more efforts to protect the country's porous borders.