Bishop James Saah, Prof Martey make Mahama’s Peace Council list

James Kweku Saah, Administraive Bishop of the Action Chapel International together with Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana Rev. Emmanuel Martey have made President John Dramani Mahama’s list for the National Peace Council Board.

Together with other leading names and representatives of key religious blocs, they were sworn-in at an event in Accra.

The 13 members of the Board are; Reverend Emmanuel Asante, Chairman of the National Peace Council, as Chairman of the Board, Most Reverend Vincent Sowah Boi-Nai, Catholic Bishop of Yendi Diocese representing the Catholic Bishops Conference, and Apostle Dr Opoku Onyinah, President of the Ghana Pentecostal Council.

Others are Maulvi Mohammed Bin Salih, Ahmadiyah Muslim Group, Imam Awal Shuaib, Tijaaaniya Muslim Group, Sheik Mohammed Gedel, Al-Sunnah Muslim Group, Osofo Kofi Atabuatsi, Practitioners of African Traditional Religion, and Nana Susubribi Krobea Asante, National House of Chiefs.

The rest are Mr Shaibu Abubakar, WANAP Ghana, Rev. Dr Armoo Darku, Institute of Retired Pastors, and Nana Agyakoma Difia II, Mamponghemaa, the President’s nominee.

President Mahama tasked the board to, among other things, engage all stakeholders in the establishment of peace and other virtues that would propel growth and development.

He said as members of a mediation group there was the need to create conditions that would make them stand out as an impartial group to facilitate peace among all parties in conflicts.

President Mahama said their activities were not to replace state apparatuses that were ensuring peace and stability but to provide alternative dispute resolutions to parties that were engaged in all manner of conflicts.

“Violence can never be used for any conflict resolution and we believe that your group will provide alternative dispute resolutions to our people all over the country,” President Mahama said.

Reverend Emmanuel Asante, Chairman of the Board, who expressed the willingness of members to discharge their duties professionally, appealed to President Mahama to provide them with an office accommodation.

He said development hinged on peaceful co-existence and the Council would serve to facilitate peace by demonstrating impartiality in their judgements.

Reverend Asante promised that they would perform their duties professionally devoid of bias decision-making and called on the Government to provide the necessary logistics to enable them to achieve their targets.

The National Peace Council Board is mandated to ensure general public safety and security, establish national infrastructure for conflict prevention, management and resolution and peace building in Ghana.

It is also to address the structural causes of pre-conflict as well as post-conflict situations in order to enhance human security, promote research, learning and sharing of good practices within and outside the country as well as build partnership for resource mobilisation.

Most Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Martey and Bishop James Kweku Saah were not present at the swearing-in ceremony.