Mr Peter Mintir Amadu, Executive Director of Total Life Enhancement Centre, Ghana (TOLEC – GH), a psychology focused organisation, has called for communities to appreciate the contributions of mental health towards attaining sustainable peace and development. He said it was important for community members and other stakeholders advocating for peace to incorporate mental health in their peacebuilding agenda since mental health issues had a direct connection to factors that triggered violence and other extremist activities. Mr Amadu made the call at a community engagement forum at Zagyuri in the Sagnarigu Municipality of the Northern Region to rally their support towards incorporating mental health into the country’s peacebuilding agenda. The community engagement was on peace promotion under the, ‘Preventing Electoral Violence and Providing Security to Northern Border Regions of Ghana (NORPREVSEC)’ initiative being implemented by COGINTA-GHANA in the Northern, North East, Upper East, Upper West and Savannah Regions with funding support from the European Union. It seeks to enhance peacebuilding and violent prevention mechanisms including building the resilience of residents along the country’s border regions against violent extremism and other related issues. TOLEC – GH is part of 15 selected grassroots Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the northern sector to carry out the activities in three months in the beneficiary communities in the Sagnarigu Municipality such as Kanvili, Zagyuri, Jisonayili and Sogashee. The activities would be organised under the theme: ‘Fostering Development through Peace (FDP) using the Model Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Service.’ Mr Amadu said, ‘Mental Health embodies our thinking, feelings and actions, which if not properly managed, has the potential to trigger violence.’ He said, ‘Supporting communities to better manage their psychosocial needs can be helpful towards enhancing sustainable peace and development.’ Mr Issahaku Issah, a Mental Health Officer at the Dalun Health Centre in the Kumbungu District of the Northern Region, reiterated the importance of mental health in peacebuilding, saying ‘It is the catalyst for peaceful coexistence.’ He called on community members to eschew violence and strive to live in peace and harmony with one another. Participants resolved to live together in peace and called for similar engagements to further enhance their appreciation of mental health and peacebuilding.
Source: Ghana News Agency