Mr. Sumaila Mohammed, an advisor for the PCC of North South, recently spoke about the STRIVE Ghana project, aimed at strengthening resilience to violent extremism in three regions of Northern Ghana. This initiative is funded by the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF) and implemented by Norsaac in partnership with CAPECS and AfriKids.
The STRIVE Ghana project seeks to address the root causes of violent extremism and promote social cohesion by fostering inclusive, locally driven approaches. As part of its inception phase, key assessments were conducted, including a Baseline/Stakeholder Mapping Exercise to identify actors and interventions in the Prevention of Violent Extremism (PVE) space, as well as a Skills and Market Needs Assessment to examine local vocational gaps, labor market demands, and barriers to youth employment. The goal is to validate the preliminary findings of these assessments, ensuring contextual accuracy and providing critical input to shape the project’s planned interventions.
The project aims to align its activities with the realities of the target districts and communities, strengthen coordination with existing structures, and develop targeted and impactful programming. Mr. Sumaila emphasized that the focus areas are the Upper East, North East, and Upper West regions, where the project aims to raise awareness of violent extremism and foster social cohesion among communities.
Observations indicate several vulnerabilities in these areas, including a lack of opportunities that make individuals susceptible to violent extremist activities. Many community members are unaware of the signs of recruitment, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation.
Mr. Sumaila also highlighted the need to build capacity from a security perspective, enabling community members to detect and report suspicious activities promptly.
Consultant Tijani Inusah Iddrisu elaborated on the project’s research components, which included baseline assessments, stakeholder mapping, and skill assessments. This extensive work identified the regions as prone to issues of violent extremism. The baseline assessment aimed to understand the local situation, acknowledging that previous governmental initiatives have sought to build security and awareness around violent extremism.
A DEX review of existing structures, including community and district-level peace councils, informed the design of research tools tailored to identified gaps. The findings revealed that awareness of violent extremism is relatively low, particularly among the youth, while older segments of the population exhibited higher levels of awareness. Consequently, the project will focus on creating awareness among the youth.
The assessment also evaluated community preparedness in the event of violent extremism, revealing that some communities are relatively well-prepared. Key institutions identified for mobilizing support against violent extremism included traditional leaders, youth groups, and local assembly members.
Source:mywordfmonline.com/Gaspard Ayuureneeya Adongo