He said that called for effective collaboration among civil society organisations (CSOs), government agencies and other stakeholders.

Launch

He made the call at the official opening of the regional headquarters office building for the West African Network for Peace building (WANEP) in Accra yesterday.

The ceremony was graced by key figures, including the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr Marce Alain de Souza, and representatives of WANEP in the 15-member countries.

A book titled: “The Strides and Strains of Civil Society Organisations in West Africa: The WANEP Story,” which spells out the success story and challenges of WANEP, was launched at the event.

Dr Ibn Chambas observed that it was when CSOs played a participatory role and offered alternative ideas that key national and regional challenges, such as drug trafficking and acts of terrorism, could be dealt with effectively.

CSOs key

The UN Office Against Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimates that 18 tonnes of cocaine with a market value of about US$2billion transit through the West African sub-region annually.

In addition, the sub-region has been plagued with pockets of electoral violence and political instability in countries such as Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Mali and, lately, The Gambia.

Threats of terrorism and religious extremism have also occurred through the activities of Boko Haram, Al Shabab and other terrorist groups, leaving traces of hunger, poverty and human rights abuses.

To reverse that trend, Dr Chambas observed that WANEP and other CSOs had a pivotal role to play to ensure that the root causes of those threats were dealt with holistically.

“The CSOs should play a leading role by collaborating with governments to chart a path of reconciliation in countries that have suffered from political unrest, especially in The Gambia,” he added.

The new WANEP Regional Office. Pictures: EDNA ADU-SERWAA

Partnerships

A former Executive Director of WANEP, Mr Emmanuel Bombande, shared in the views expressed by Dr Chambas, and added that CSOs had to offer constructive criticism of government initiatives, instead of taking an entrenched stance.

He said WANEP had, through its partnership with the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), contributed significantly to building peace in the sub-region.

Mr Bombande said it was important to build strategic partnerships at national and regional levels to address the major causes of conflicts and political violence.

‘Invest in peace’

A representative from WANEP in Nigeria, Mallam Yusuf Ali, called on the business community to invest in building peace and security in the sub-region.

He said businesses would only thrive when there was peace, stressing that there was a synergy between business development and peace.

“Businesses cannot make profit when there is no peace in the country. It is, therefore, important for owners of businesses to commit resources to help build a peaceful environment,” he said.