Mr. Cezar Kale, the Deputy Upper West Regional Minister, has said the threat to peace in the country is the impending presidential and parliamentary elections.
"Many of us, who are aspiring to lead this country either as President or Members of Parliament, tend to view the impending event as an end in itself and must win, no matter the consequences", he said.
Mr. Kale was opening a three-day workshop on Peace Building and Conflict Management in Wa.
The workshop, which was organised by Initiative on Conflict Resolution (ICR) with support from the National Peace Council (NPC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is aimed at equipping traditional and religious leaders with the requisite knowledge and skills to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts.
Mr. Kale said President John Dramani Mahama had given his word and continued to reiterate his desire to oversee the most peaceful election since the country returned to constitutional rule.
He appealed to all, especially political parties, to support peace by avoiding intemperate language, violence and rancour in order to help Ghana remain the beacon of hope in Africa.
Mr Kale said there was high demand for land in both rural and urban areas giving rise to land disputes and appealed to traditional rulers and landowners to employ more professional methods of resolving these conflicts rather than relying on age old methods.
Mr. Kale appealed to the Regional Peace Advisory Council to continue with its good work by engaging traditional rulers, youth groups, trade associations and students among others in their peace building initiatives to enable them observe and propagate the peace message.
Mr. Damma Salifu, Founder and Programme Manager of ICR, said religious leaders and institutions could mediate in conflict situations, serving as a communication link between opposing sides and providing training in peacemaking methodologies.