Upper East, Ghana, 30 September 2024 – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has teamed up with STAR Ghana Foundation to implement a series of initiatives aimed at improving the resilience and security of border communities in Northern Ghana, empowering border community residents, promoting peacebuilding and strengthening livelihoods. Activities included the creation of Community Dialogue Platforms for border community members to discuss and proffer solutions around social cohesion and border security challenges, as well as providing livelihood interventions in support of sustainable development.

In August 2024, members of the community dialogue platforms in Paga, Pusiga, Kulungungu, Mognori, Pulmakom and Namoo participated in workshops that enhanced their knowledge about human rights, gender equality, and the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV)—all of which are critical to community cohesion and resilience. Community members unanimously agreed that women should be specifically targeted during sensitization activities due to their crucial role in conflict monitoring and detecting early warning signals.

After the trainings, STAR Ghana Foundation, the local implementing partner, carried out a week-long series of community sensitization activities across the same border communities. These interventions brought together hundreds of community members to discuss the prevention of the spread of violent extremism, the importance of social cohesion, and the critical role local stakeholders, including women and youth, play in maintaining peace. These discussions, complemented by community games, radio talk shows, and a peace walk, emphasized the need for unity, inter-ethnic tolerance, and cooperation between communities and security agencies.

During one of the sensitization activities in Namoo, Angela Bortey, Communications Assistant at IOM Ghana, encouraged community members to be active citizens. She said: "By adopting a 'see something, say something' attitude, you can make important contributions to the work of border management agencies to prevent infiltration of violent extremist activities. During the community engagements, IOM has witnessed the power of community-driven initiatives in fostering peace and security," said Ms. Bortey.

Simultaneously, IOM also continued to offer livelihood support in the communities of Pulmakom and Namoo enhancing their socio-economic resilience through sustainable agricultural practices. This type of support has been implemented based on the prior success of similar projects in the communities of Kulungugu, Pusiga and Paga. Communities received fenced gardens, along with seedlings, water pumps, hoses, and generators. What’s more, mechanized boreholes will allow the communities to farm all year-round independent of rainfall. 60 beneficiary farmers are directly benefitting from these interventions, while it is expected that about 300 members of the border communities will benefit indirectly.

During the hand-over ceremony in Namoo, Ibrahim-Tanko Amidu, Executive Director at STAR Ghana Foundation, emphasized the importance of linking peacebuilding efforts with tangible community support. "Peacebuilding is not a one-time event; it requires continuous collaboration among all stakeholders. The livelihood project in Namoo ensures that communities engage in peacebuilding efforts, while they also have the tools to create sustainable livelihoods, reducing vulnerability to security threats," he stated.

At the occasion of the handover event in Namoo a dialogue session brought together community members and border security agencies, such as the Ghana Immigration Service. This highlighted the growing cooperation between these groups which is crucial for trust-building and hence tackling security issues jointly, empowering communities to take an active role in maintaining peace.

A community member and queen mother in Namoo, Veronica Atanga, underscored the importance of the livelihood initiative for the community: "Security is not just about enforcement; it is also about trust and partnerships. These projects have strengthened the relationship between the border management agencies and the community, enabling us to address security challenges more effectively."

The activities were realized with funding from the United States Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).

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For more information, please contact:

Kojo Wilmot, IOM Ghana at kwilmot@iom.int or via phone on +233302742930 ext. 2412