The Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has engaged with students of the Tamale Senior High School (TAMASCO) to increase awareness on violent extremism and foster resilience against extremist ideologies through critical thinking skills.
The outreach was also aimed at promoting tolerance, understanding, and respect among students from diverse backgrounds and empowering them to become active voices in countering extremism.
It was a collaborative effort with various security services including the Police and Immigration Services and the Ghana Armed Forces with a total of 235 students participating.
It formed part of the implementation of the phase two of Prevention of Violent Extremism through Social Accountability (PoVETSA II) project, which was funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The project, being implemented in partnership with the National Peace Council, and the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, seeks to ensure that national peace and security actors improve civilian trust and confidence in security services for the prevention of violent extremism.
Chief Superintendent of Police, Mr Daniel Dzam-Tse, Sagnarigu District Police Commander, expressed the need for students to resort to peaceful resolution of grievances and or differences.
He advised them to guard against radicalisation, especially as they used social media, which could be used by others to share information that tended to influence the youth negatively.
PoVETSA II, a follow-up to PoVETSA I, sought to continue to respond to threats of violent extremism and terrorism in northern Ghana by addressing the root causes while promoting social cohesion and inclusive peace-building among civilians and security sector actors.
Chief Supt. Dzam-Tse told the students to disregard messages that would not ensure their wellbeing or promote peaceful coexistence.
Assistant Commissioner of Immigration (ACI) Francis Tachie, the Deputy Northern Regional Commander, advised the students not to be misled to undertake acts that would only lead them into destruction.
“Do not allow yourselves to be used as instruments of violence. Do not allow anybody to influence you negatively”.
Lieutenant Roland Nakai Nettey, Command Public Relations Officer, Northern Region, Ghana Armed Forces, urged the students to support the security services by reporting suspicious acts or characters to them to act promptly.
Source: GNA
