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Interior Minister calls for amplified Women’s voices in West African Peace-Building
Speaking at the Conflict Prevention and Sustainable Peace Forum at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Accra, the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohamed-Mubarak, called for amplifying women’s voices in peace-building in West Africa.
Emphasising the crucial role of women in promoting peace and stability in West Africa, the Minister stated, ‘We must amplify women’s voices in peace building, governance and democratic transitions.’
He highlighted Ghana’s significant strides in promoting women’s leadership, including the appointment of the country’s first female Vice President in 2025 and the passage of the Affirmative Action, Gender Equality Act, 2024, which mandates a minimum 40% female representation in public appointments, a move that underscores Ghana’s commitment to inclusive governance.
Mubarak Muntaka stressed that conflict prevention requires a proactive approach, vision, unity and courage.
“We must institutionalise women’s leadership in peace architecture, invest in education and youth empowerment and strengthen regional collaboration,” he urged.
He noted that West Africa faces complex security challenges, including violent extremism, insurgency, terrorism, piracy and climate-induced conflicts and emphasised the need for holistic and inclusive approaches to address these root causes.
To achieve sustainable peace, Hon. Muntaka outlined a comprehensive action plan, saying women’s leadership must be ensured in peace architecture at national, regional and local levels. He added that education and youth empowerment are crucial in tackling grievances and exclusion and that regional collaboration must be strengthened through ECOWAS protocols and joint security operations.
The Minister further added that digital literacy must be promoted to counter disinformation that fuels tensions and that inclusive dialogue must be fostered, particularly in fragile and transitional contexts and early warning systems driven by civil society and women’s groups must be prioritized.
He emphasised the importance of working together to build a region where peace is firm, democracy is credible and every voice is heard and valued. He commended the Australian High Commission in Ghana and the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre for collaborating on the timely and critical programme.
The Australian High Commissioner to Ghana, Her Excellency Berenice Owen-Jones, emphasizes the importance of reforming peace-building architecture, stressing that peace must be built on justice and gender equality, which the Commission actively champions.
The forum reflects the shared commitment of Ghana and international partners to promoting peace, stability and inclusive governance in West Africa.
It provides an opportunity to interrogate not only regional peace and security architecture but also to emphasise the often-overlooked role of women as active agents in conflict prevention and democratic consolidation.
A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour by the Bekwai Circuit Court for his role in a 2022 robbery at a mining site at Manso Akwasiso in the Ashanti South Region.
The convict, Dominic Ofori, also known as Fanta, was arrested on 16th February 2026 after years on the run. He pleaded guilty before the Bekwai Circuit Court to robbery contrary to Section 149 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 Act 29, and was accordingly sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour.
On March 20, 2022, the Manso Adubia District Police received intelligence that a group of armed men from Manso Abodom were planning to attack a mining site at Manso Akwasiso to rob the owner of gold concentrate. Acting on the information, police mounted a coordinated operation and laid an ambush at the site.
At about 5:30 pm the same day, four-armed men arrived at the site, fired indiscriminately, and robbed the miners of their gold concentrate. The police team on surveillance intervened, resulting in an exchange of gunfire.
Three of the suspects, Abu Abubakar, Musah Latif, and Gideon Takyi, sustained gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead on arrival at St Martins Catholic Hospital at Agroyesum. Dominic Ofori escaped at the time but was later arrested and put before the court.
The Ashanti South Regional Police Command has assured the public of its continued commitment to combating violent crimes and bringing offenders to justice.
The Ashanti Regional Police Command has arrested 45-year-old Isaac Boafo, also known as “Duabo King,” for allegedly publishing false news intended to cause fear and panic.
Police said the arrest follows a viral TikTok video in which Boafo claimed that four officers at the Central Police Station in Kumasi engaged in inappropriate conduct with commercial sex workers during night patrols in Asafo.
Officers from the Police Intelligence Directorate (Ashanti Region) apprehended Boafo after receiving intelligence about the video.
During questioning, he admitted to creating the video to attract views and engagement online, and acknowledged that he could not prove the allegations.
Boafo also admitted making comments about the President of the Republic for content purposes and could not defend those statements.
He has been formally charged and is in detention as investigations continue.
The Ashanti Regional Police have warned the public against publishing or sharing false information on social media, noting that such acts can cause fear, panic, and damage reputations.
They said anyone found engaging in similar conduct will face legal action.
By: Jacob Aggrey
