Following the misunderstandings that has engulfed the Dagbon Traditional Area, many civil society organizations and individuals have made several attempts at resolving the differences between the feuding factions to ensure peace and harmony for development of Dagbon.
GUBDANDA association, a grouping of Dagbon citizens is the latest of such groups who believes that together, they can ensure peace returns to Dagbon. GUBDANDA, a Dagbani word which translates “we carry/bear each others loads collectively”.
Speaking at the inauguration of the association in Accra recently, the secretary of the group, Mr Ibrahim Adams, noted the Dagbon conflict has brought a major drawback in development to the northern region.
He said, the differences has given the area a sunken image, however, they [GUBDANDA] would not relent in their efforts to finding a lasting solution to the conflict.
Mr Ibrahim said, since ``charity begins at home, especially with a home that has been divided, distorted and threatened with a prospect of irreconcilable differences, the CHARITY that the association present is one of admitting to a failure to find a solution to a long drawn-out problem that has consumed so much of our values, properties and unfortunately lives of a people called Dagbamba``, he lamented.
Addressing the gathering, Mr Murtala Ibrahim, the Deputy Director of the National Youth Employment Programme blamed the people of Dagbon for failing to resolve their differences.He urged individuals to learn to say sorry when they go wrong.
Justice he said is sine qua non to peace, therefore justice must be done where it is due to promote peaceful co-existence.
Challenges, Mr Mutala said are bound happen and if thus occur, people must learn to resolve them quickly and restore harmony.
According to him the resolution to the conflict in Dagbon must be a tripartite approach, that is , the Family level, Community level and the State which ensures justice and the rule of law to create peace and harmony. The Greater Accra Central Committee of GUBDANDA Association consists of Ashiaman, Tema, Madina Accra.The theme for the inaugural ceremony was Helping to Build Peace and Unity to Accelerate and “Development in Dagbon”. If GUBDANDA really means `bearing each others loads collectively`, and since the problems are basically caused by Dagbamba, it behooves Dagbamba’s to lead any efforts to resolve them.
The group hopes to achieve its desires through developing liaisons among the different interest groupings in Dagbon, exploring the possibility of forming a `Dagbon Development Think Tank[DaTT], embarking on outreach activities involving prominent Chiefs in and out of Dagbon, complementing Educational efforts and assist any development efforts on the Northern Region to bring development to the area.
GUBDANDA invites all well meaning individual Ghanaians and groups to lend supporting hands to the peace efforts.
BY: CHRISTIAN KPESESE-0246798847
