In Ghana, Women’s Peace Networks Strengthen Community Stability and Act as a Force for Good

In Ghana, Women’s Peace Networks Strengthen Community Stability and Act as a Force for Good 

Through the Bureau for Conflict Prevention and Stabilization, USAID invests in peacebuilding through new approaches and local partnerships. Where there is a breakdown of social contracts between communities and governments, malign forces—such as self-interested armed groups, non-democratic governments, and violent extremists—often exploit these gaps to take root. To tackle this, USAID works with diverse stakeholders from all levels, from national government actors to community stakeholders, to create resilient communities that can prevent conflict and withstand negative influence.

In Ghana, USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) supports local stakeholders, including women, to withstand the increasing threat of violent extremist organizations (VEOs). Despite facing deep-rooted patriarchy, women in Ghana's Upper West Region, bordering Burkina Faso, hold significant sway in shaping community attitudes and behaviors. They connect through networks and associations based on occupation, ethnicity, or interests, but conflicts that arise from competition for dominance and limited resources among these networks can turn violent, threatening community cohesion and making women targets for VEOs. 

Recognizing women’s vital influence in their communities and building on learnings related to local governance, conflict, and social cohesion from other OTI and USAID programs, OTI’s Littorals Regional Initiative partnered with the Community Development Alliance, a local NGO, to train over 300 women network leaders and members from the Upper West Region’s 11 districts. The trainings covered topics including leadership, peace activism, conflict resolution, and preventing violent extremism. 

Following the training, network representatives shared their knowledge with their communities and started to independently leverage their influence to use what they learned to resolve conflicts and build resilience against VEO influence within their households and communities—ultimately, working to strengthen social cohesion¹. In Ghana, where there is a new sense of urgency surrounding threats to stability as VEOs in Burkina Faso continue to expand southward along the Ghana border, OTI identified that improving intercommunal relations and prioritizing social cohesion is a crucial defense tactic as the country grapples with addressing varying and intensifying internal instability dynamics.

OTI and its partners’ efforts to strengthen community cohesion work best when they are community-led. As the women leaders and members who attended the training, such as Ruth Seidu, a member of the Fabric Weavers Association, began applying what they learned in their communities, by applying the information to address local vulnerabilities. Using her newfound skills, Ruth prevented her son from being recruited by what she suspected was an online violent extremist organization. Ruth shared that her son almost quit school to travel outside the country to join a group that promised him a better life and large sums of money. After identifying the signs of a possible recruitment scheme by drawing upon what she learned at the training, Ruth educated her son about the potential implications of his decisions. She shared,

“My son has returned to school and is continuing his studies. I am glad I was able to save [him].”

Local women’s networks also began to collaborate more effectively, another benefit from the training. Using the connections they made at a training, three women from different networks in the Nandom Municipality came together for the first time on a radio program to make a case to their peers on why their networks should collaborate and not compete. One of the women noted,

Security issues are a concern for everyone, and as women in the community, we need to put our differences aside and work together for our collective security.”

Similarly, in the Chebogu community in the Lambussie District, Fulbe (a minority ethnic group) and non-Fulbe association members organized a community meeting with their religious and traditional leaders to share their training knowledge and resolve outstanding conflicts. After the meeting, one of the women, Aabere Josephine, said, “I felt fulfilled that for the first time, my voice in the Chebogu community had been heard. I was able to step in and settle a family dispute that could have resulted in bloodshed, but after my intervention, their family is living peacefully.” These initiatives have been recognized by local and traditional leaders who gave the women’s representatives more community responsibility. For example, the Chief of the Chebogu community included women in council meetings for the first time, stating, “I never knew that women could also contribute to discussions about security and community relationships, but since the training, they have shown us what they can do, and we will work with them.”

In Spring 2023, women from the group of 300 who took part in the initial training established the Regional Network of Women (RENEW) Peace Activists and Gender Champions. Since its establishment, members of the network have sustained the peacebuilding, women’s empowerment, and preventing violent extremism activities promoted by the OTI training. For example, RENEW members in Tumu, in the Sissala East municipality, organized peace talks on the role of Muslim women in peacebuilding and combating violent extremism during the Ahmadiyya Muslim Women conference, opening up the event to both members and non-members. Further west in the Nadowli-Kaloe district’s Cherikpong community, RENEW members organized an indigenous food, song, and dance competition to foster peace, security, and social cohesion in the community. 

RENEW Member Hajia Rabiatu Musah highlighted that the organization has provided a platform for women to self-mobilize, initiate collective action, and increase their momentum in peacebuilding, conflict resolution, and prevention of violent extremism. She said, “This network serves as a rallying point for women to contribute to sustainable peace and security in the Upper West Region.” Through new networks and community initiatives, women in Ghana are raising their voices, advocating for the role of women within the region, and creating safer, more stable communities.