A two-day capacity-building training workshop has been organised for security personnel towards preventing violent extremism in the Upper East Region.

It was organised by the National Peace Council (NPC), in partnership with the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), with funding support from the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The training formed part of the three-year phase II implementation of the Preventing Violent Extremism through Social Accountability (PoTVESA) project, which seeks to strengthen the relationship between civilians and security agencies in the fight against violent extremism.

In line with the project, a total of 150 security personnel are expected to be trained in the five northern regions, namely Upper East, North-East, Northern, Savannah and Upper West.

The personnel are drawn from the Ghana Armed Forces, Ghana Police Service, Ghana Immigration Service, National Intelligence Bureau, Ghana National Fire Service and the Narcotic Control Commission (NACOC).

Speaking at the training in Bolgatanga, the Deputy Director in charge of conflict management, National Peace Council, Frank Wilson Bodza, said the training had become necessary to help prevent a spillover of violent extremism into the country.

He stated that due to the numerous chieftaincy and tribal conflicts in northern Ghana, it was essential for the security personnel to be well-equipped with additional expertise and skills to enable them to prevent extremists from taking advantage of the conflicts to foment trouble.

He said, “As part of improving the country’s security, we thought it wise to engage the security officers through the training, in a bid to improve upon their competencies to enable them to manage conflict situations better.”

He added that in conflict situations, security personnel should act with a human face in the discharge of their professional duties, saying, “This is to prevent them from any excesses in managing conflict issues.”

He expressed optimism that the training would go a long way to ensure perpetual peace in the country for the ultimate benefit of Ghanaians, stressing “the existence of peace in the country is a prerequisite for achieving growth and development.”

Several initiatives

The Project Manager, PoVESTA II, CRS, Adelaide Yireyelleh, said the training formed part of several initiatives to be embarked upon in CRS’s quest to improve the relationship between civilians and security personnel.

She stated that improving trust relations between security officers and the people would go a long way toward combating violent extremism and safeguarding Ghana’s peace and security.