Northern Ghana is known for its beautiful landscapes, but the region is also characterized by ethnic tensions, chieftaincy, and land conflicts—and the looming threat of violent extremism. Taking stock of these challenges, the USAID Office of Transition Initiatives’ Littorals Regional Initiative (OTI) embarked on a mission to empower youth, with the intent to ultimately help cultivate a culture of peace as vibrant as the region’s picturesque scenery. OTI partnered with local stakeholders and implemented a range of activities  that  engaged up to 700 youth  to  foster dialogue and equip them with conflict resolution skills. In turn, these initiatives strengthened connections, ethnic coexistence, and unity among the youth participants, who expressed increased awareness of their main issues—and confidence in their skill-sets to address them. This resulted in unprecedented youth involvement in resolving conflict within their communities throughout northern Ghana.

Savannah Region: Youth Dialogue and Collaboration 

In the Savannah region, communities along the borders of Burkina Faso and Cote D'Ivoire face challenges such as rising crime rates and the potential spillover of violent extremism from the Sahel. Additionally, illegal mining attracts foreign nationals and related criminal activities—raising concerns about the infiltration of extremist groups, and causing  fear among residents. There is also lingering mistrust between youth and traditional or local authorities, which further threatens peace and security. In 2022, OTI began a collaborative partnership with the Savannah Regional Peace Council (SRPC) to address these challenges and promote security, good governance, and peaceful coexistence in the region. From December 2022 to July 2023, the SRPC organized a series of youth empowerment workshops focused on peacebuilding, advocacy, and conflict mediation skills, with a cross-cutting theme of Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) for 350 high-risk youth groups, traditional leaders, and local government authorities in the region’s Bole and Sawla-Tuna-Kalba districts. These initiatives provided a safe space for open conversations on critical topics such as land disputes and unemployment. 

One participant said, "Through these dialogues, our voices are finally heard. Our ideas and perspectives are now valued, giving us hope for a brighter future." 

Moreover, the dialogues have significantly improved communication and collaboration between youth in the Savannah region and traditional/local government authorities. The youth participants expressed that they most appreciated learning conflict mediation skills because they have allowed them to be more proactive and capable of resolving community conflicts. 

These efforts have also empowered the districts’ youth to get more involved in community decision-making. Some of the engaged youth leaders have been given new responsibilities by community elders—including ones linked to security issues within their community, such as overseeing the construction of a dam in the Tuna district. During the construction phase of this new dam, youth provided regular status updates to traditional leaders and local government officials regarding the project's progress and resource utilization. 

Fulbe Inclusion: Leadership Bootcamp and Organizational Development

In April 2022, an attack on Zakoli, a Fulbe settlement near Yendi, resulted in casualties, injuries, and the destruction of houses. Conflicts between the Fulbe and other ethnic groups in Ghana's northern regions often arise when cattle grazing results in crop destruction. These conflicts then disproportionately affect the Fulbe community, as they already face deep seated societal prejudices. To address these challenges and promote positive change, OTI partnered with two local organizations in the Northern region, Youth Empowerment for Life (YEFL) and the Fulbe Youth Association of Ghana (FUYAG), and engaged 90 Fulbe youth in critical life skills through interactive bootcamps. 

These bootcamps, held between December 2022 and June 2023, were specifically organized for Fulbe youth and focused on trauma healing, confidence-building, leadership skills, advocacy, conflict resolution, and dialogue. The youth participants actively interacted with the material, developing their own visions and strategies. They also took what they learned and applied it to their communities, becoming peace ambassadors by organizing peace campaigns, cultural events, and community dialogues. In April 2023, these efforts culminated in the "Peace Walk for Unity," an initiative between Fulbe youth and local community leaders that attracted participants from diverse backgrounds, showcasing the power of unity and peace.

Beyond the peacebuilding initiatives, there have been other positive interactions between Fulbe youth and their communities. In the Savannah region in March 2023, stakeholder meetings brought together Fulbe leaders, cattle herders, and youth to promote Fulbe children's enrollment in schools, reduce stereotypes and marginalization, and foster integration within the communities. Additionally, in June 2023, the regional secretary of FUYAG successfully engaged with the police and the chief of the Binduri community to prevent a potential conflict following an armed robbery incident. The success of these activities has given Fulbe youth more confidence and motivation overall, promoted inclusion, and built local capacities by giving youth alternative non-violent tools to resolve local conflicts.

Upper West Region: Building Trust Between Youth and Leaders Through Dialogue

The Upper West region experiences conflicts fueled by youth unemployment, marginalization, and ethnic tensions, all exacerbated by mistrust between the region’s youth and their local authorities. Over a seven-month period starting in February 2023, OTI partnered with a local NGO in the Upper West, Community Action for Rural Opportunities (CARO), to work at bridging this divide and promoting peace. CARO and OTI organized interactive workshops, dialogues, and community-driven projects for both the youth and local leaders. Bringing them into close contact to work together enabled the youth participants to interact with their leaders in a positive way and sparked constructive change. Inspired by their newfound knowledge, the youth took action after the events concluded by initiating peace campaigns, organizing inter-ethnic cultural activities, and facilitating community dialogues that embraced diversity and fostered inter-ethnic unity. One notable example, the "Youth Peace Ambassadors" project, where Fulbe youth organized peace campaigns and dialogues, came together as a direct result of CARO and OTI’s activities—and now works to promote unity among diverse ethnic groups. Additionally, in Dadafuro, five youth groups came together to form a collective dedicated to development, peace, and security. They established a community watchdog committee to ensure the well-being of their community. Elsewhere in Kpilla, the assemblyman and other stakeholders, including youth, modeled what they learned and successfully resolved a land conflict through dialogue.

Collectively,  OTI and local partners’ efforts to engage youth in Ghana’s northern regions have reached and involved over 700 youth to become agents of positive change. These initiatives and their emerging follow-on effects underscore the promise of lasting peace and harmonious coexistence in northern Ghana.