The Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Angela Lusigi, commended the National Peace Council (NPC) for its great efforts towards peace building and social cohesion in Ghana, especially during Ghana’s 2020 elections. She applauded the Council for its good work at a courtesy call on the Board Chairman of the NPC, Rev. Dr. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi and staff of the national secretariat, to deepen working relations with the Council.

Ms. Lusigi pledged UNDP’s continued partnership and support for the work of the National Peace Council to promote peace in Ghana. This, according to her, is because peace is an enabler for the achievement of all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“UNDP believes that achieving SDG16 for peaceful and just societies is the bedrock of the achievement of all the SDGs. We remain committed to supporting the National Peace Council to ensure that Ghana maintains its enviable record as a peaceful nation and effectively contributes to stability in the region”, she stated. 

The UNDP Resident Representative seized the opportunity to present Information and Communications Technology (ICT) equipment to the Council, to strengthen its institutional capacity especially in its new regional offices in the newly created regions of Ghana. The equipment includes Laptops (14), Desktop Computers (4), Scanners (5), and Printers (8).

On his part, the Board Chairman of the National Peace Council, Rev. Dr Ernest Adu-Gyamfi thanked UNDP for its continued support to the work of the Council and for the presentation of the ICT equipment. He noted that, UNDP continue to provide technical, financial, and logistical support to the Council for its effective functioning right from its inception. He added that in recent past, in collaboration with DANIDA, EU, UNDP provided vehicles, furniture and equipment to all Regional Offices across the country, and with the creation of the new regions, these  additional ICT tools will equip staff of the new regional offices to perform their functions more effectively. 

“I thank UNDP for the great collaborations and tremendous support over the years, in promoting peace in Ghana and I am looking forward to more partnerships,” he said. 

Speaking on the Council’s workplan for the year, Rev. Dr Adu-Gyamfi noted that, they are planning to focus on building the capacity of newly appointed Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in selected regions in Ghana, to empower them to be able to effectively respond to conflict situations. He indicated that the Council will also intensify its support to communities that survived volatile situations and work with other state institutions to strengthen capacity to address emerging terrorism issues.

Peacebuilding is crucial for the achievement of the SDGs. Over the years, UNDP has been instrumental in the processes leading to the establishment of the NPC through the bi-partisan passage of the NPC Act. This strong partnership contributed to several successes including the resolve of the Dagbon Conflict. For elections 2020, UNDP and the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and the UN system in Ghana supported the Council’s stakeholder engagements towards a peaceful and violence free elections.