CENFAD-GHANA organises workshop on peaceful election in Upper East

The Centre for Alternative Development (CENFAD-Ghana) is collaborating with stakeholders in the Upper East Region to ensure free, fair, transparent and peaceful general election.

Against this background, the NGO which promotes good governance with sponsorship from STAR-Ghana, on Wednesday organised a regional stakeholders meeting at Tongo in the Talensi-Nabdam District.

The meeting attracted representatives from all the political parties in the region, chiefs, the media, and assembly members among others.

Star-Ghana is a multi-donor pooled funding to increase influence of civil society groups and parliament in governance.

Speaking at the Consultation workshop on the theme: “Promoting Transparent, Fair and Peaceful 2012 Election in Upper East Region", the Programme Coordinator of CENFAD-Ghana, Mr Martin Abelwine explained that the purpose of the stakeholder consultation workshop was to provide the opportunity for key stakeholders to be sensitised on the project , and to solicit their support and cooperation towards the achievement of the project goal.

He told the participants that, their input was key in enhancing all inclusive participation and ownership of the initiative.

Mr Abelwine said: “The one- year project among other things would identify and mitigate possible conflicts in trouble spots within constituencies in the region.”

He said this would be done through conflict mitigation committees to be constituted, youth voter awareness campaign platform, women and youth voter registration drives, and facilitate quarterly meetings of conflict committees.

It would also develop and send out six messages on peace by five players and hold quarterly review meetings with key actors on the project.

The project would monitor activities of political parties, organise radio discussions using prominent senior citizens including traditional authorities, Electoral Commission(EC) officials, security experts, National Commission for Civic Education to discuss conflict prevention , electoral rights and responsibilities and political tolerance.

Mr Abelwine said, the project would conduct parliamentary debates among parliamentary aspirants in six constituencies in the region, follow up on issues agreed during the parliamentary debates and support the Ghana Police Service, Judiciary and EC to deploy effective strategies.

There would also be inter-party games among political parties and youth groups, focusing more on unity in diversity.

”This is hoped to translate into high voter registration and turnout in the 2012 elections, and contribute to the realisation of gender and socially inclusiveness in the government business cycle,” he stressed.

Participants at the meeting commended STAR-Ghana for sponsoring the NGO to undertake the lined up activities to ensure peaceful election and pledged their unflinching support of the successful implementation of the project.**