Women and youth political activists have been advised to prioritise political tolerance and respect for divergent views in their engagements, to safeguard the peace and stability of the country.
They were also advised to ensure that all their political activities conformed to the provisions of Ghana’s 1992 Republican Constitution.
Mr Victor Elikplim Nuworkpor, the Upper West Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), gave the advice at a two-day training for women and youth political activists from the Wa West and Sissala West Districts.
Elected women and youth assembly members, unsuccessful assembly aspirants, and local level political party leaders, among others, attended the training organised by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) in partnership with the Centre for Advancing Rural Opportunities (CARO-Ghana).
It formed part of the “Enhancing Social Cohesion and Social Contract through the Empowerment of Women and Youth in Three Northern Regions of Ghana” project implementation, with funding from the Peacebuilding Fund (PBF) through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The workshop aimed to strengthen the knowledge and skills of participants in political campaigning, community engagement, resource mobilisation, and local government policy influencing strategies.
It also sought to create a platform for identifying strategies to enhance their leadership roles and build cross-political party coalitions to advocate for peace and non-violent political engagement at community, district, and regional levels.
Mr Nuworkpor took the participants through sessions on political tolerance, peacebuilding, non-violent campaign strategies, and dispute resolution mechanisms.
He encouraged the participants to ensure that their political activities were lawful, that they took responsibility for their actions, and always respect the fundamental human rights of others.
“Conflicts can arise, but they should be managed constructively so that they do not degenerate into violence,” he said.
Mr Eric Doe, the Programmes Officer at CDD-Ghana, Tamale office, said the engagement would also help address barriers to women and youth participation in decision-making and electoral processes while enhancing their interest in local governance.
He said the two-day training would provide a platform for experience sharing on best practices for peaceful political activism and electoral campaigns.
Dr Daniel Tanko Dawda, the Upper West Regional Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), facilitated a session on political party campaigning and policy advocacy.
He emphasised the importance of listening to community concerns and incorporating their perspectives into campaign platforms, as well as adopting effective political resource mobilisation and lobbying strategies.
CDD-Ghana is implementing the PBF project in six communities in the Wa West and Sissala West Districts, to prevent and address the root causes of localised and spillover conflicts, as well as vulnerabilities to violent extremism in northern Ghana.
GNA
