They are the Paramount Chief of Asante Asokore, Nana Professor Susubribi Krobea Asante; the Member of Parliament for Adentan, Mohammed Adamu Ramadan; the Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority, Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid; the Chief Director of the Ministry of the Interior, Adelaide Anno-Kumi; the Ashanti Regional Chief Imam, Sheikh Abdul Mumin Haroun, and the Director of the Centre for Interfaith Studies at the Akrofi-Christaller Institute of Theology, Mission and Culture, Rev. Dr Johnson A. Mbillah.

They were honoured at the 11th Dialogue and Peace Iftar Dinner and Awards in Accra last Friday.

The event was organised by a non-governmental organisation for scientific, cultural, charitable and educational purposes, TUDEC-Ghana, in collaboration with the National Peace Council (NPC).

Commitment

The Executive Secretary of the National Peace Council, George Amoh, said the world today was still full of injustices, inequalities, discrimination, selfishness, greed and hatred, which had only been exacerbated by the unequal distribution of wealth across the international space.

“We continue to have religious and chieftaincy violence because others want to set aside laid down rules for personal gains. Money, power and wealth have separated otherwise good friends, and sometimes made them enemies. In this technological world, people are hiding behind the social media to spread hate and divide people,” he said.

Mr Amoh said in the face of these challenges, the National Peace Council would continue to create platforms for actors in the peace architecture to share knowledge and ideas that would facilitate the prevention, management and resolution of conflicts, and empower people of all origins, faiths and beliefs to play their roles effectively towards tolerance for divergent views and peaceful coexistence.

“We are hopeful that we will use this gathering to renew our collective resolve to contribute to the peace of Ghana and the world by being peace agents in our families, our work places and in our communities,” he added. 

Treasure  

A Founder Member of TUDEC, Dr Nuamah Nabil, said the country’s peaceful atmosphere was an important treasure which needed to be nurtured and protected through conscious efforts by all stakeholders. 

That, he said, was necessary because there were external forces who envied the country’s achievements as a beacon of peace and religious tolerance and coexistence for which reason, they would like to sow discourse and throw the country into chaos.

“So TUDEC made it our core mandate that annually, we would gather stakeholders and remind ourselves that even though we are enjoying peace in this country, we have to consciously nurture it and find ways to make it better so (that) we don’t end up like others,” he added.

Dr Nabil said TUDEC would continue to work with all stakeholders to push the concept of mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence among all members of different faiths and tribes, adding that “When people from different countries see how people of different faiths and religions live together, they become surprised”.