Conflicts: the barrier to development

A community that is engaged in conflict would not see much progress and development. Some communities in Ghana have been rocked by conflicts bordering on preventable land disputes, chieftaincy among others.

These conflicts are sometimes prolonged leading to the imposition of curfews. It is on the back of this that we, at SEND-GHANA, believe that scoring development points in such communities becomes overly difficult because without peace there would be no development. 

As a pro-poor Civil Society Organisation (CSO), we are concerned about how conflict is slowing down our work thereby putting development in a reverse gear. 

An article published by Graphiconline.com.gh on Saturday, 13 June 2015 reported that, the Ministry of the Interior had announced the renewal of curfew on Nakpanduri, Bimbilla and Bunkprugu all in the Northern Region as well as Alavanyo and Nkonya in the Volta Region. 

This means that members of these communities will have to adjust their working and social lives to beat the curfew. 

Imagine an old woman in one of these communities suddenly falls sick during the curfew hours and must be rushed to the hospital, would the helpers and the woman be mistaken for attackers or trouble makers and shot at? A young barber’s shop  owner and a hair stylist are unable to make profit because most of their clients are workers who patronize their services in the evenings after work. 

Have we thought of how much government is losing in terms of revenue due to the curfew imposed on these communities? We have not even thought about how much government is spending to maintain law and order in these conflict-prone communities and how that money can be used for other infrastructural developments that can boost the economic fortunes of the area and provide jobs for the people. 

In the midst of all these we at SEND-GHANA, call for cool heads during meetings that are meant to find lasting solutions to these conflicts: All parties involved in such conflicts must be prepared to put the nation first and be development-oriented.

We also appeal to state actors and mediators not to take sides and also enforce the laws of the nation to the letter in such circumstances. SEND-GHANA believes that, as a people, we should always put Ghana first and help in our own little way to be at peace with each other and live happily, for a prosperous nation is developed in an environment of peace.

Source-SEND-GHANA