The Board Chairman of NORTHCODE-GHANA, Dr. David Sumbo, says community education on laws and security procedures is helping reduce misunderstandings and build trust in border areas vulnerable to violent extremism.
Speaking to Bole based Nkilgi fm at a community engagement session at the Mum and Dad Legacy Lodge, Dr. Sumbo explained that NORTHCODE-GHANA has been working in parts of the country bordering Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire, particularly in the Sawla community, to promote peace and prevent the spillover of violent extremism into Ghana.
“Our work on the ground shows that one of the major sources of conflict is people’s poor understanding of the laws and policies implemented by the Police Service, Immigration Service, and Customs,” Dr. Sumbo said.
“Today we are creating opportunities for these state security agencies to educate committee members directly, so that once they know the rules, they will minimize the extent to which people break them.”He added Education on policing, immigration, and customs which brought together officers from three agencies to clarify both rights and responsibilities.
Mr. David Sumbo said the Ghana Police Service will be Presenting on community policing, the roles of citizens, and what the police do to ensure peaceful coexistence and public safety.
He said Ghana Immigration Service will explain how ECOWAS free movement protocols and Ghana’s Immigration Act, 2000 (Act 573) should work. He added that while ECOWAS allows free movement, entry into Ghana must still be through approved routes with a passport, Ghana Card, or for non-Ghanaians, a national ID card (_carte d’identité_) must serve as a prove for entry to Ghana or other countries.
Customs Division, Ghana Revenue Authority, he outlined how taxes and duties are applied, why compliance matters for national resources, and how proper procedures help traders operate without harassment.
Dr. Sumbo said a similar session in Sawla the previous day revealed that many violations occur out of ignorance. “Ignorance is not an excuse under the law. But when people understand the rules, they can cooperate with security agencies who are there to facilitate movement and business, not to harass.”Dr. Sumbo stressed that peacebuilding is not a one-time intervention. “The impact of peace projects is not like other development work where after one or two activities you can say everything has changed. It is iterative.
You make progress, new challenges come up, and you develop new responses.”Based on NORTHCODE-GHANA’s monitoring, the situation in intervention areas would be worse without this work. “The data we have shows that in the locations where NORTHCODE-GHANA is working, people’s understanding of issues and the ability to tolerate each other is far better now than before,” he said.
He added that the organization will continue to adapt its approach as new challenges emerge, with the goal of strengthening community resilience and preventing violent extremism from gaining a foothold.“We think we are making significant progress that is contributing to the peace of the area,” Dr. Sumbo concluded.
Source: nkilgifm.com
