Only peace and unity can help develop the Northern Region-Friday

Tamale, March 11, GNA- Alhaji Abdulai Haruna Friday, Tamale Metropolitan Chief Executive on Thursday said peace, unity and tolerance were important elements needed bridge the wide development gap between the North and South.

"Government may devote all the resources towards enhancing the livelihood of the people by way of development but without oneness, all these commitments will be in vain. I therefore call on all sundry to tolerate each other's view as the first step towards promoting peace", he said. Alhaji Friday was speaking at a two-day peace capacity

building workshop for women and the youth in Dagbon organized by Ghana Network for Peace Building (GHANAP) aimed at educating participants on the need to tolerate each other's opinion as the nation draws near an electio= n year. The workshop dubbed, 93Developing Community Capacity for Peace", wa= s supported by the Canadian High Commission, the Swedish International Development Agency and the Sustainable Peace Initiative. Alhaji Friday called on the people of the North to restore the state o= f unity, stability, law and order, harmony and respect for elders they enjoye= d some years back.

He noted that the assembly would continue to encourage women participation in the governance, although previous effort proved futile. "I am very much disturbed that the representation of women in the lo= cal system is low. Out of the 64 assembly seats in the Metropolis, there is onl= y one woman. We need to get them on board because without them there cannot b= e any meaningful development", he said.

Mr. Justin Bayor, National Coordinator of Ghana Network for Peace Building (GHANAP), said the workshop was organized against the back drop of the fact that some communities in the Tamale Metropolis had been marked by the Humanity Security Project of the United Nations as potential violence zones. He said the project seeks to create an enabling environment and empowe= r the local institutions, communities and individuals to manage and prevent conflicts in these areas.

Mr. Bayor said another reason for organizing the workshop was due to the recent withdrawal of one chieftaincy faction from the Asantehene-led Dagbon chieftaincy mediation process which has stalled the roadmap for bringing lasting peace to Dagbon.

He said participants would be taken through topics such as, 93how conflicts erupt, its nature, style and form, negotiation and mediation methods, how to communicate to prevent irritation. Ms. Nuala Lawlor, Counsellor, Political, Economic Relations and Public Affairs at the Canadian High Commission, said, 93Almost all violent confli= cts that occur in Ghana are pre-emptive and could be prevented with a requisite early warning and responds system".

She said Ghana needed to take a cue from the recent devastating development in neighbouring Cote d'Ivoire and other devastating events th= at could happen without putting in place the appropriate pre-emptive measures. Ms Mariam Abukar, a participant, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said the workshop would help them to promote peace in their localities as mediators. She called on the youth to tolerate each other's views, stop fightin= g each other due to political differences and be ambassadors of peace instead of war.