By Abdulai Zulkaninu – February 13, 2026.
The Coalition for the Development of Northern Ghana (NORTHCODE Ghana) has organised a workshop for its peace project in Damongo under the project title “Leaders of Today, Not Tomorrow.”
The theme for the project is Strengthening Transnational Youth Peace Leadership Along The Ivorian-Ghanaian Border”.
The initiative is funded by Global Affairs Canada and supported by Conciliation Resources.
The project is being implemented across selected districts in the Savannah Region, including Central Gonja District, Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District, Bole District and the West Gonja Municipality.
The workshop brought together traditional and religious leaders, security agencies, youth and women groups, persons with disabilities (PWDs), journalists, Honourable Assembly Members, and heads of state institutions, among others.
The primary objective of the project is to strengthen youth leadership and build resilient communities by promoting inclusive governance and enhancing youth participation in decision-making processes. It also seeks to foster cross-community and cross-border collaboration for sustainable peace.
Key expected outcomes of the initiative include building the capacity and confidence of young people through leadership, dialogue and mediation skills training; creating an enabling environment for youth engagement in governance and peace processes; and strengthening networks and collaboration at local, national and transnational levels.
The project is expected to contribute significantly to sustaining peace in the Savannah Region and neighbouring countries.
Dr. Andrew Yahaya Dokurgu, Technical Lead of NORTHCODE Ghana, explained that the workshop served as a platform to engage the youth in dialogue while conducting community outreach on security concerns.
“This activity is part of our project ‘Youth Leaders of Today and Not Tomorrow,’ which focuses on building youth leadership for peace. It is supported by Canada and Conciliation Resources, and we are collaborating with other civil society organisations in Côte d’Ivoire to achieve a shared goal,” he stated.
According to him, the project, launched in December 2025, will roll out a series of activities in selected districts, including West Gonja Municipality, Central Gonja District, Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District and Bole District.
Dr. Dokurgu disclosed that viable youth groups and associations within the targeted areas have already been identified for collaboration.
“This is a youth-centred peace project. The youth are both the drivers and beneficiaries of the initiative,” he emphasised.
He further noted that the programme aims to empower youth leaders to actively engage stakeholders on issues affecting peace and security in their communities. The workshop also provided an opportunity for youth groups to share their perspectives on emerging threats to peace and identify urgent challenges requiring attention.
Additionally, traditional and religious leaders were included in the project due to their crucial roles within the peace and security architecture of their communities.
“When conflict arises, the youth are often used as the cutting edge. That is why we want to give them a greater and more constructive role in promoting peace,” Dr. Dokurgu added.
A Queen Mother of the Damongo Traditional Area, Mbitawurchea Alijata Haruna, commended NORTHCODE Ghana for the initiative and pledged to share the knowledge gained with other traditional leaders to support the project’s objectives.
She encouraged the youth and stakeholders to remain committed to the project to ensure lasting peace for future generations.
Members of the participating youth groups expressed appreciation to NORTHCODE Ghana for the opportunity and pledged to collaborate closely with one another and key stakeholders to ensure the success of the peace initiative.
There were assignments for the stakeholders to identify threats and ways to overcome them .
