Strengthening Fulbe Inclusion in Ghana’s Upper West Region Through Advocacy and Mediation Committees

Between June and August 2021, USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) Littorals Regional Initiative commissioned a survey by a local NGO—Sustainable Aid through Voluntary Establishment (SAVE)-Ghana—to better understand the complex relationship between Fulbe and non-Fulbe ethnic groups in the Upper West Region of Ghana. The research findings indicated that the use of the word ‘Fulani’ caused a significant source of conflict between the region’s Fulbe and non-Fulbe communities.

“Fulbe is our name. Fulani is not. It is a name given to disrespect and stigmatize us. When you are called Fulani, it means you are worthless,” explained the Fulbe chief of the Tumu traditional area. “We call ourselves Pul-lo for singular and Fulbe for plural.”  

The research also confirmed that longstanding prejudice and exclusion of the Fulbe from decision-making and community activities, as well as persistent land competition between the Fulbe and other ethnic groups, contributed to increased conflict and generated destabilizing dynamics in the region. All of these factors create exploitable avenues for violent extremist organizations, as witnessed in the Sahel. To increase local government and policymakers’ awareness about the dangers of these conflicts, OTI partnered with SAVE-Ghana to organize a series of meetings and dialogues with District Assembly members, traditional leaders, and key community influencers to share key findings and recommendations from the research. Two years on, these efforts have resulted in firm commitments and landmark initiatives across the region toward improving relationships between the Fulbe, local authorities, and other ethnic groups. One of the earliest outcomes was the adoption of the name ‘Fulbe’ instead of ‘Fulani’ by the District Assemblies and community leaders in close to 80 percent of the districts in the region, including in the Sissala East District and Jirapa Municipality. At the time of this report, Fulbe that LRI staff met with in these locations confirmed that officials and “many community members” now use the term Fulbe.

Additionally, Fulbe traditional leaders in the Sissala East District and Jirapa Municipality have, for the first time, been invited to and are participating in community council meetings where they can speak on behalf of their communities and raise issues that affect them. In one such instance, a Fulbe traditional leader in Tumu town (Sissala East District) successfully advocated to policymakers and authorities during these council meetings to reduce cattle rate taxes for the Fulbe in the area. The rates were double those charged for other ethnic groups. The visibly excited chief remarked, “I advocated for reducing cattle rate taxes for the Fulbe, and I was heard; now we pay half ($1.62 per cattle head) of what we used to pay ($3.24 per cattle head).” 

The reduction subsequently increased the number of herders who now pay their taxes, which increased the district’s revenue. Commenting on these developments, the Tumu town Municipal Development Planning Officer said, “Reduction in the cattle rate resulted in an increase in the revenue collected. The Fulbe now feel part of the community and are more willing to pay taxes. There is also no need to involve the security service to force them to pay.” His colleague, the District Coordinating Director, added that the Assembly appointed a Fulbe Desk Liaison Officer, a position that previously didn't exist—and through which they now have a better idea of the Fulbe population size. This, combined with the research findings, led the District Coordinating Director to take measures aimed at providing potable drinking water and other social amenities typically lacking in many Fulbe communities, as recommended by the survey.

During the dialogue meetings centered around research dissemination of the survey results, eight of the 11 municipal districts in the Upper West Region adopted local roadmaps to follow to better address including the Fulbe in their communities. Since then, the relationships that formed between the Fulbe, local authorities, and other ethnic groups during that period continue to blossom. As a result, communities in these districts now meet periodically to discuss matters that impact their overall sense of belonging. They also involve security agencies and collaborate with them on early warning and information sharing.

According to the Fulbe chief of Jirapa, “Integration and inclusion of Fulbe in decision-making and governance can promote trust and peaceful coexistence.” 

These meetings have also provided the Fulbe in attendance with the opportunity to voice grievances and work toward solutions. During meetings in Sissala East District, the Fulbe negotiated the removal of an immigration post in the community of Bujan. Before its removal, the post had become a frequent source of conflict due to its location on a major road that the Fulbe used to travel to a weekly cattle market. As such, they could not avoid interaction and complained of harassment by officials at the post. During the dialogues, the traditional leaders established mixed Fulbe and non-Fulbe mediation committees to resolve other conflicts similar to the immigration post in Bujan.1 In particular, the mediation committees focused on conflicts between Fulbe herders and non-Fulbe farmers in the region, which is a dominant cause of violent clashes. As of July 2023, these committees have peacefully resolved over 75 cases in the Sissala East and Wa East districts. The presence of the mediation committees has also reduced the number of crop destruction cases, as confirmed by a very happy assemblyman from Nator West Electoral Area. He said, “This year has so far been good; we have not had any confusion between the Fulbe and the farmers. The Fulbe are cautious with their cattle, and the farmers are also patient with the Fulbe.” 

Another tremendous outcome that emerged from these engagements is an initiative from a local radio station, Sissala FM, to produce and broadcast programs that educate listeners about conflict resolution, preventing violent extremism, and the culture and way of life of the Fulbe and other minority ethnic groups. This radio program received praise from Fulbe and non-Fulbe communities alike and now works to dispel long-held stereotypes. During a call-in segment after the program, a non-Fulbe listener from the Naabubelle community said, “This program is very educational and will help reduce conflicts between farmers and herders over crop destruction.” A Fulbe listener from the Chinchang community also called in and said, "Now everyone knows that we, the Fulbe, have a voice, and our conflicts are best resolved through dialogue." OTI continues to monitor and support locally-level initiatives and policy shifts toward improving Fulbe inclusion at all levels, and to ultimately build community resilience against the influence of violent extremist organizations.

¹The emphasis here is on "mixed," meaning the committees have representation from the communities and Fulbe. This allows for fair mediation and makes the Fulbe feel represented and seen. Usually, conflict arises when village chiefs mediate conflicts. They are often not trained in mediation, are paid a commission, and tend to take sides based on prior relationships or who pays more.