Don’t over rejoice about latest peace ranking – Peace Council
The National Peace Council (NPC) has asked the country not to rejoice about the latest Global Peace Index (GPI) because Ghana is not immune to terrorist attacks.
Ghana’s neighbouring countries, such as Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast, have experienced violent attacks by various groups, leading to deaths.
The Executive Secretary of the NPC, George Amoh, has explained that while Ghana’s rank as the second most peaceful country in Africa was welcoming, other West African countries have suffered turmoil.
“I don’t think we should be too happy and lose our guard. If you look at the rankings of countries in the sub-region, like Burkina Faso, it has deteriorated as never in the history of the GPI,” he bemoaned. “Ghana is not safe, so we have to ensure that our borders are well protected to prevent this violent intrusion into our country.”
He believed that the responsibility rests on both the government and every citizen to ensure that the positive things that led the country to the latest rank are improved upon.
“For example, traditional leaders would have to do what they are doing which is helping, our religious leaders would have to do what they are doing, the media have to continue what they are doing right. We are all doing something right, at least, that is helping us to keep this record, so let us keep to it,” he admonished.
He spoke in an interview that was monitored by The Ghana Report on Monday, on Asaase Radio.
Global Peace Index (GPI) latest rankings
The 2021 GPI by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) ranked Ghana 38th in the world out of the 163 countries reviewed.
The country scored 1.715, which represents a two-point move upwards from the previous Global Peace Index report.
The ranking measures the state of peace using three key indices; the level of Societal Safety and Security, the extent of Ongoing Domestic and International Conflict, and the degree of Militarisation.
The index observed that “the average level of global peacefulness deteriorated by 0.07% in the 2021 Global Peace Index.
This was relatively small in the ninth time in the last 13 years that global peacefulness has deteriorated.
According to the ranking, civil unrest rose in 2020, fuelled largely by responses to coronavirus restrictions.
“The deterioration in militarisation and improvement in ongoing conflict were both influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, which had a major negative impact on economic activity, human movement, and international relations in 2020.
The pandemic had a noticeable impact on the violent demonstrations and political instability indicators, with 25 and 46 countries respectively recording deterioration in these indicators,” the report stated.
Government’s response
Commenting on the report during his tour in the Upper East Region, President Akufo-Addo said it was a “recognition of the effort that we are making.”
He quickly added that the accomplishment “does not, in itself, mean that these problems have disappeared overnight. Holistically, efforts are being made to try and secure the peace and stability of our nation, and we will continue down that path.”
READ ALSO: Ghana Ranked Most Peaceful Country In West Africa
Adding to this, the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, attributed the feat chalked by the country to the government’s investment in security and peace over the years.
He indicated that the country had accelerated its personnel and logistics to ensure that, despite the challenges going on in the sub-region and across Africa, “relatively we are able to offer a more peaceful environment to our citizens and people within our jurisdiction.”
He, however, urged the citizenry and all stakeholders to continue to play their roles in sustaining the country’s peace.