President John Dramani Mahama on Friday reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to strengthening Ghana’s democracy, preserving its peace, and upholding the dignity of every Ghanaian.
Speaking at the National Peace Council’s Post-2024 Elections Evaluation Dialogue in Koforidua, the Eastern Regional Capital, President Mahama said that peace was indispensable to national development.
“Without peace, we cannot create jobs, we cannot expand opportunities, we cannot improve education, we cannot attract investment or build a just society,” he stated.
The two-day workshop was organized by the National Peace Council in collaboration with the West African Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) on the theme: “Dialoguing for a Stronger Democracy and Social Cohesion.”
The President said the Dialogue was a turning point, a new chapter of healing, cooperation, and shared purpose in the nation’s history.
He said as mandated by Article 35(6) of the 1992 Constitution, the State was enjoined to actively promote the integration of the people of Ghana and prohibit discrimination and prejudice on the grounds of place of origin, circumstances of birth, ethnic origin, gender or religion.
The President noted that this constitutional obligation was at the heart of national unity and peaceful coexistence, which were the bedrock of the nation’s democracy.
This, he said, was the reason Ghana’s Founding President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, and successive Presidents of the nation made the pursuit of peace and national unity a central pillar of their governance.
President Mahama said in this spirit, during the recent inauguration of the new Governing Board of the National Peace Council, I emphasized the continuing importance of their role in safeguarding Ghana’s peace before, during and after elections.
The President said Dr Nkrumah’s commitment to peaceful, non-violent pathways to change remained relevant even today.
He said in a world increasingly plagued by instability and polarization, Ghana must hold fast to the principles of tolerance, dialogue, and peaceful dispute resolution.
The President said the 2024 Global Peace Index ranked Ghana 55th out of 163 countries, a four-place drop from the 2023 position.
“While we retain fourth place in sub-Saharan Africa, we remain number one as the most peaceful country in West Africa,” he said.
“It is a wake-up call, a signal that we must be more vigilant, proactive, and committed to addressing the root causes of discord in our society.”
The President said the government, in collaboration with the National Peace Council and civil society, had implemented a range of interventions to deepen national consensus, strengthen conflict prevention mechanisms, and foster public trust in the institutions that underpin Ghana’s democracy, especially those responsible for elections, investigations, and prosecution of electoral offences.
He said elections were by nature high-stake events, adding that they were a contest of ideas and ideologies, often influenced by deeply held convictions and competing visions.
He said for national development, while Ghana once again demonstrated its democratic resilience in the 2024 elections, culminating in a largely peaceful transfer of power, it could not ignore that the process was marred by isolated acts of violence in some constituencies.
“Let me use this platform to unequivocally condemn these acts of violence and call for swift accountability for the perpetrators,” President Mahama said.
He said, he had requested that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to expedite investigations into these acts of electoral violence and bring the perpetrators to justice.
The President said the Attorney-General was also working on a report to be presented to Cabinet for the payment of adequate compensation to victims and relatives of those affected by the violence.
“Let me take this opportunity to commend the Electoral Commission, our security services, civil society organizations, political parties, and the electorate for their collective role in ensuring that Ghana’s democratic credentials remain intact after the 2024 election,” he said.
“But we must go further. Our political differences must never become tools for division, mistrust, or violence.”
The President said the disbandment of party vigilante groups through the passage of the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act 2019 (Act 999) was a step in the right direction, and that it had reduced politically motivated violence to some extent.
He said the National Peace Council and its partners had built upon the legal framework to roll out public education campaigns, strengthen the capacity of electoral management bodies, and mobilize youth and civil society actors to promote peace before, during, and after elections.
Nonetheless, violence still thrives when grievances were left unresolved, when institutions were perceived to be biased, and when political discourse becomes toxic, which Ghanaians must confront boldly.
Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, the Minister for the Interior/National Security Minister, said as at the close of June 2025, there were 338 hotspots or flashpoints in the country, of which 190 was on Chieftaincy.
He said the time had come for a national dialogue on Chieftaincy to redefine how to reengage better in resolving such conflicts.
Reverend Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Peace Council, who expressed gratitude to President Mahama for signing the Peace Pact ahead of the December 7, 2024, general election, also congratulated him on his decisive victory.
He said the Dialogue sought to build consensus among stakeholders to strengthen mechanisms for election integrity, greater national cohesion, political tolerance, and peace-building for national development.
Source: GNA
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