Yesterday Tuesday April 16, 2024 the Savannah Region Queen Mothers’ Association ( SRQMA) in partnership with Star Ghana Foundation held a stakeholder dialogue on social cohension and peaceful coexistence for Fulbe headers, farmers, women, youth and vulnerable groups in the Savannah region.
The dialogue took place at the Eco-Club House in Damongo to address the challenges affecting the multi tribe settlers, especially amongst the indigenes, the Fulani herdsmen and farmers in the Savannah region.
Presesnt at the dialogue were some chiefs and queen mothers, some heads of departments, Muslim and Christian clergy, the Fulbe community, and targeted groups drawn from East Gonja Municipal, North Gonja District, and the West Gonja Municipal Assemblies.
In a welcome address, the president of SRQMA, Dr. Hajia Kansawurche Veronica Bukari said there is the need to engage in dialogue sessions to enhance peaceful co-existence andj social cohesion since they can not pretend that all is well within the Savannah region when there is a lot of migration and series of conflicts around Ghana and the neighboring countries.
She mentioned that Fulbe herder-farmer disputes, high illiteracy rates, famine and diseases, scramble for resources, unemployment, breakdown of social capital, and lack of alternative sources of livelihoods are some of the challenges they have started to address few months ago supported by the Star Ghana foundation trying to fill the gap of advocacy of inclusion and bring about ways to peaceful coexist and cohesion amongst Fulbes women, youth and other vulnerable groups in Savannah Region.
She made reference to the Savannah Regional House of Chiefs striving to get a roadmap towards solving Fulbe herder and Farmer conflicts and it is found that most times, the youth, the women and other vulnerable groups are left out in the dialogues, meanwhile, these important group engagement would foster the needed peace since it is the youth that go to the bush with the animals and create the problems whiles their fathers are resting at home or market places.
She added that thesej children deny their animals straying into peoples farms and destroying yields.
On the other hand, Kansawurche said that Some farmers also spread falsehood as soon as they see cattle feet around their farms which is creating problems at all times.
She revealed that women play a good role in encouraging men to do right things, therefore, women should be included in decision making process at the Regional House of Chiefs level to contribute to strategies to find an amicable solution to the Fulbe farmer conflict in Savannah Region.
Kansawurche used the opportunity to encourage the Fulbes to make themselves available for dialogue anytime the need arises and also entreated the fulbe community to send their children to school, and also dispel their perception of stigma, discrimination and stereotyping.
(Cue Audio Hajia Kansawurche Veronica Bukari)
Speaking during the dialogue, the Project Officer for Star Ghana Foundation, Madam Anita Asare Awuku says that the Star Ghana Foundation is supporting the Savannah Region Queen Mothers’ Association under the Actions for Voice, Influence and Inclusive Development (AVID) project.
She said that the project largely aims at improving access to social services for six groups, namely: persons with disability, rural farmers, the youth, the informal sector workers among others.
According to her, dialogue sessions has been organised to look at issues that have emerged from the implementation of activities by the Savannah Region Queen Mothers’ Association
Madam Anita noted that the action plan will be taken into effect after the meeting.
Several views on how to promote and maintain peaceful coexistence amongst the minor tribe settler groups in the Savannah region, notbly, the Fulbe communities and the daily brouhaha between the Fulani herdsmen and farmers were discussed thoroughly.
