Dialogue and Peace Conference held in Accra
The second Dialogue and Peace Conference has been held in Accra with a call on Ghanaians to remain resilient in ensuring sustainable peace as threats loom from the sub-region.
A member of the National Peace Council, Rev. Prof. Paul Frimpong Manso, who made the call last Wednesday, said despite the country being ranked the second most peaceful country in Africa and first in West Africa, it was important for all to remain vigilant to protect the peace.
The conference was organised by the Ghana-Turkey Co-operation and Development Association (TUDEC) in collaboration with the National Peace Council on the theme: “Peaceful Co-existence In Diversity”.
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Participants collectively shared the need for a peaceful world.
TUDEC lauded
Rev. Prof. Frimpong Manso, who chaired the event, commended the leadership of TUDEC for its commitment to peace in Ghana.
He lauded the timely organisation of the conference to promote co-existence, mutual understanding and improve dialogue between various faiths, cultures and races as threats of terrorism, extremism and radicalism had heightened in the Sahel region and other neighbouring countries.
He entreated stakeholders in education to inculcate peace and tolerance in the educational curricula to help mitigate radicalism, extremism and hate-mongering championed mainly by the youth on social media platforms.
Religious leaders commended
The General Secretary of the Christian Council, Dr Cyril Fayose , in a welcome address applauded the religious leaders for accepting the invitation to attend the conference.
He added that the religious leaders who served as the moral voice and conscience of society had a crucial role to play in achieving sustainable peace and development.
Building bridges
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The CEO of TUDEC, Cafer Tepeli, stressed the need to continuously build bridges of peace through activities such as cross-cultural festivals, shared celebrations and humanitarian efforts.
He echoed the commendable contributions made by TUDEC in 2022 which included numerous donations and projects directed to the less privileged in society.
He added that dialogue was an essential fuel for peacebuilding, development and sustainability and prayed for a world free of hatred, discrimination and violence but for a world “where we are committed to the dignity of all”.
Mutual understanding
A member of the NPC, Magdalene Kannae, stressed the need for peaceful co-existence despite differences in beliefs and ideologies.
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In her opening remarks, she urged the participants to work in their local communities to create opportunities for social dialogues, as well as inter-faith and inter-ethnic dialogues for mutual understanding.
Concern
The spokesperson for the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Aremeyaw Shaibu, who was the guest speaker for the conference, said in spite of the country being celebrated as one of the most peaceful countries in Africa, it continued to register pockets of ethnic and communal clashes which gave cause for concern.
He added that such signals had consequences on national security and peace and added that it was important to explore every existing avenue to overcome the barriers that militated against enhanced peaceful co-existence and mutual understanding.
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Notable among the dignitaries at the event were a former Minister of Education, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang and the CEO of Ameen Scientific Herbal centre, Sheikh Amin Bonsu.