Reconstituted Volta Regional Peace Council Inaugurated
The Reconstituted Volta Regional Peace Council has been inaugurated on Tuesday, December 06, 2022 at the Residency Conference Hall, Ho. The Reconstituted Council has the following members:
| S/N | NAME | INSTITUTION |
| 1 | Rev. Monsignor Peter Eduwodzi Huletey | Catholic Bishop Conference |
| 2 | Rev. Seth Kwesi Mawutor | Christian Council |
| 3 | Rev. Roger Elorm Titriku | Ghana Pentecostal Council |
| 4 | Rev. Godswill Elorm Courage | National Council for Christian and Charismatic Churches |
| 5 | Mr. Ismael Ewudzie | Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission |
| 6 | Mr. Masoud Ismael | Al-Sunnah Muslim |
| 7 | Alhaji Saeed Dawuda | Tijaaniya Muslim Group |
| 8 | Osofo Akotey Agbofa Atsyor | Practitioners of African Traditional Religion |
| 9 | Lt. Col. Edward Appiah | Volta Regional Coordinating Council |
| 10 | Mama Atrato II | Volta Regional Coordinating Council |
| 11 | Mrs. Edith Amenuvor | Identifiable Group |
| 12 | Mrs. Dela Enuameh-Agbolosso | Identifiable Group |
| 13 | Togbe Gbogbolulu V | Regional House of Chiefs |
The Roman Catholic Bishop of Ho Diocese and Governing Board Member of the National Peace Council, Most Rev. Emmanuel Fianu administered the Official Oath, Oath of Allegiance and Oath of Secrecy to the members of the Reconstituted Volta Regional Peace Council as he swore them into office.
Addressing, the ceremony, the Hon. Volta Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa, acknowledged the important role the Peace Council plays in the Country and the Region.
He stated that the Volta Regional Peace Council has been working closely with the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) to ensure peace in the Region citing the instrumental role of the Regional Peace Council in ensuring calm in the Alavanyo-Nkonya Area, and the Ho Zongo Community.
Dr. Letsa entreated the Reconstituted Council to assist the Regional Co-ordinating Council find a lasting peace to the conflict in the Ho Zongo Community regarding the selection of a Regional Chief Imam.
Furthermore, he entreated the Council to assist bring about peace between the Seven Seas Salt Ltd and the Communities within Ketu South Municipality where the company operates.
He expressed joy about the individuals accepting their membership of the Reconstituted Council and congratulated them in that regard.
Considering the relationship that exists between the Volta Regional Co-ordinating Council (VRCC) and REGSEC on one hand and the Regional Peace Council on the other hand he stated that there were a plethora of conflicts in the areas of Chieftaincy and Religion. These he believed must be tackled to ensure peaceful co-existence.
He was hopeful that the wise counsel of the Regional Peace Council would inform how the conflicts are handled and assured the Council of the support of the VRCC, REGSEC, and his good self in ensuring that there is peace in the Region for all residents and to attract the needed workforce as well as investment.
He extolled the region for being relatively peaceful and stated that the Volta Region is one of the crime-free regions of Ghana based on statistics from the Ghana Police Service.
Taking his turn to address the ceremony, Most Rev. Fianu extended a hearty welcome to all. He stated that “Ghana’s Peace Architecture stands on seven major pillars: law and order; the rule of law; traditional authority and alternative justice; oversight; civic education; watchdog and last but not least, mediation and peace advocacy.” He further stated that “the mediation and peace advocacy domain falls squarely within the mandate of the National Peace Council and supporting civil society bodies.”
Dwelling briefly on the history of the establishment of the National Peace Council, he stated that the Parliament of Ghana institutionalised a National Architecture for Peace with the passage of the National Peace Council Act (Act 818) in 2011. According to him, “the National Peace Council was well-designed with a focus on local stakeholder participation on facilitating dialogue and joint problem-solving between conflicting parties.”
On how the National Peace Council (NPC) works, he articulated that “the NPC works through Regional Peace Councils and District Peace Councils [where they exist] to build sustainable peace in Ghana.” He acknowledged that the structure of the NPC “is a clear departure from the wholesale and universal application of conflict resolution processes across all social and cultural contexts, which have been criticized for neglecting the cultural specificity and diversity of cultural settings within which conflicts operate.”
Stating the advantage of the structure of the NPC, he said the “Regional Peace Councils, under the direction of the Governing Board, have the mandate to design and implement appropriate conflict prevention, resolution and dedication mechanisms that have their roots in the specific cultural resources and implicit knowledge available in the given Region or District.”
Focusing on the Volta Regional Peace Council he said the first Volta Regional Peace Council was inaugurated on 21st July, 2014 and reconstituted in November 2018. He intimated that the four-year tenure of the Council which was reconstituted in the year 2018 ended in November 2022. He praised the Volta Regional Peace Council for having lived up to its expectation by working with communities and relevant stakeholders with immense support from the Regional Coordinating Council and other relevant state institutions to sustain the peace of the Region.
He seized the opportunity to congratulate the newly reconstituted Volta Regional Peace Council for accepting to work for peace in the Volta Region. He, however, notified them of the difficulty they might face in the execution of their well-cut out mandate. He made reference to some conflicts, the Nkonya-Alavanyo conflict [which will be 100 years old in 2023], and the Peki-Tsito conflict, which the Regional Peace Council had intervened and assisted in resolving.
Most Rev. Fianu postulated that conflicts arise as a result of differences emerging from people’s views and opinions and that make conflicts an undeniable fact of social existence. He stated unequivocally that conflict is essential for society to make meaningful progress and be strengthened due to cross-fertilisation of divergent views, opinions and needs.
He noted that methods that are chosen in dealing with conflicts are of critical importance and advocated the use of non-violent techniques such as dialogue and negotiation in settling differences.
Finally, he stated the NPC, will continue to use advocacy to get citizens to fully understand and appreciate the values of diversity, trust, tolerance and reconciliation. He entreated the members of the newly reconstituted Volta Regional Peace Council to assist the NPC achieve the above values in the Volta Region.
Rev. Seth Kwesi Mawutor who retained his position as the Chairman of the Council, and spoke on behalf of his colleagues expressed appreciation to the NPC and the VRCC for the confidence reposed in them. He assured that they would work to the best of their abilities towards the attainment of the objectives of the Regional Peace Council.
