The Ark Foundation, Ghana, a gender based human rights NGO, on Wednesday organized a peace forum to solicit the views of various stakeholders in pursuance of peace during the coming elections.

The inter-generational women’s forum dubbed “Women unite to Speak Peace to Power” is part of the Foundation's Nuisance Project under which 30 young women have been trained to lead the process of promoting peace within three communities in Greater Accra, Ashanti and Eastern regions.

These communities including Nima, Old Fadama and Jamestown in Accra; Koforidua in the Eastern Region as well as Kumasi in the Ashanti region, which are believed to be “hotspots of political tension” during elections and were targeted for various peace programmes.

Mrs Angela Dwamena-Aboagye, Executive Director, Ark Foundation, said the project aims at providing a platform for young women to employ advocacy and public actions to increase accountability and responsiveness of key stakeholders for maintaining peace in the country.

She said Star Ghana, a multi-donor pool institution, is funding the project as part of its contribution towards peaceful elections”

She said with a project like that, “many young women were being trained by the foundation to fill various leadership positions in future”, so there will be no more excuse that there are not enough women to occupy such positions in the country.

Ms Angela Darko, Coordinator, Young Women for Peace Project said participants attending the forum including representatives from political parties would discuss their thoughts, concerns and issue a communiqué that would be distributed to relevant actors in the country.

“These women would demonstrate their desire to influence the electioneering processes and stakeholders who are directly responsible for organising and coordinating the elections in order to prevent electoral violence, thereby contributing to peace.”

She said at the selected communities, activities like Azonto dance competition, collection of 1,000 signatures from political, traditional and religious leaders as well as other celebrities and quiet peace vigils, banner line hangings and photo exhibition on war would be organized.

Professor Mercy Amba Oduyoye of the Institute of Women in Religion and Culture, Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon, spoke on the need for all to pray, seek and work towards peace, which would help ensure security and integrity of the country.

“We should give others the respect, tolerate each other and watch our language, especially in public. Peace will come when both men and women are educated to recognize each other’s strength” Prof Oduyoye added.

Ms Susan Adu Amankwa of the CPP and Ms Janet Nabilla of the PNC all expressed their parties commitment towards peace in Ghana saying without peace elected leaders could not govern the country.**