UNITED NATIONS

Republic of Ghana

Proposal

for the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security (UNTFHS)

By: UN Country Team in Ghana

UNDP/UNICEF/WFP/FAO/UNIDO/UNU

Date of Submission / 7 March, 2008 (Revised 20 March 2009)
Benefiting Country / Republic of Ghana
Location / Northern Ghana (BawkuMunicipality in Upper East Region; Wa Municipality in Upper West Region; and Yendi District and Tamale Metropolitan in Northern Region)
Title of Programme / Enhancing Human Security through Developing Local Capacity for Holistic Community-Based Conflict Prevention in Northern Ghana
Duration of Programme / 3 years
UN Administrative Agent / UNDP
UN Executing Partner Agencies / UNDP, UNICEF, WFP, FAO, UNIDO, UNU
Non-UN Executing Partners / Government of the Republic of Ghana, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Community-Based Organizations (CBOs)
Total Budget / US$ 2,969,575.28

Executive Summary

Ghana, seen as an oasis of stability in a volatile West African sub-region, does nonetheless face a number of human security challenges which need to be addressed before they undermine the peace and security of the country as well as the human development gains. Conflicts in the northern regions of Ghana have become seemingly never-ending with over 23 conflicts occurring in the past two decades to date. While there are many causes, chieftaincy is the most common feature of the conflicts in the area.

The conflicts have resulted ina substantial loss of human capital, property and development opportunities. The critical issue of concern is that this protracted conflict has seemingly left out Northern Ghana from a buoyant developing economy in the southern part ofGhana which is less affected by the complexities of conflicts in the North.

This Human Security Programme seeks to empower local institutions, communities and individuals to manage and prevent conflict in Northern Ghanaas a means to ensuring sustainable human security in the area. The Programme will support specifically a five-prong interventionwith interrelated components as follows: I) Capacity development of local institutions and civil society for good decentralized governance and conflict prevention; II) Enhancement of mechanisms for conflict prevention and peace consolidation in Northern Ghana; III) Support to increaseproduction, productivity and income generating capacity through micro, small and medium enterprises; IV) Improvement of agricultural productivity and nutritional status for enhanced food security; and V) Promoting the mainstreaming and advocating of the Human Security Concept in the Ghanaian development context.

These interventions have been adopted to reflectthe major occupation of the population and socio-cultural mechanismsin the area, being mindful of the fact that the poor economic situation which breeds poverty itself remains a threat to human security.

Table of Content

List of Acronyms4

Map of Ghana with Indication of Programme Sites5

1. Introduction: Situation in Northern Ghana6

2. Rationale for Funding from the UNTFHS9

3. Context

3.1. Past and Existing Efforts and Gaps10

3.2. Programme Identification and Formulation10

3.3. Intended Beneficiaries11

4. Programme Overview: Goal, Objectives and Outputs13

5. Programme Management, Implementation and Partnership Strategy16

6. Sustainability18

7. Monitoring and Evaluation Plan19

8. Administration and Financial Management19

Appendixes

Appendix 1: Results and Resources Framework

Appendix 2: Budget Summary

Appendix 3: Budget Breakdown

Appendix 4: Performance Indicators

Appendix 5: Terms of Reference for Human Security Programme

Appendix 6: Model of Conflict Prevention and Peace Consolidation

Appendix 7: List of Conflicts in Northern Ghana

Appendix 8: Newspaper Headlines and Articles

Appendix 9: Findings and Recommendations from Initial Consultations with Local Stakeholders(August 21 – 30, 2007)

List of Acronyms

ADRAlternative Dispute Resolution

ARIAnimal Research Institute

ASSIAssociation of Small Scale Industries

CBOCommunity Based Organization

CECOTAPSCentre for Conflict Transformation and Peace Studies

CIDACanadian International Development Agency

CRICrops Research Institute

CRSCatholic Relief Organization

CSOCivil Society Organization

DANIDADanish International Development Agency

DCDDepartment of Community Development

DISECDistrict Security Council

DPCUDistrict Planning Coordinating Unit

FAOFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

GESGhana Education Service

GHANEPGhana Network for Peace-building

GHSGhana Health Service

GNAGhana News Agency

GNACSAGhana National Commission on Small Arms

GPRS IIGrowth and Poverty Reduction Strategy of Ghana

GPSGhana Police Service

HACTHarmonized Approach to Cash Transfer

HPIHuman Poverty Index

IDA Irrigation Development Authority

IFADInternational Fund for Agricultural Development

JICAJapan International Cooperation Agency

MDAsMinistries, Departments and Agencies

MDGsMillennium Development Goals

MINTMinistry of the Interior

MLGRDEMinistry of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment MOFA Ministry of Food & Agriculture

MOFEPMinistry of Finance and Economic Planning

MOWACMinistry of Women and Children Affairs

MPCUMunicipal Planning Coordinating Unit

MUSECMunicipal Security Council

NADMONational Disaster Management Organization

NBSSINational Board for Small Scale Industry

NCCENational Commission for Civic Education

NDPCNational Development Planning Commission

NYCNational Youth Council

NYEPNational Youth Employment Program

RPCURegional Planning Coordinating Unit

SARISavanna Agricultural Research Institute

UDSUniversity for Development Studies

UNDPUnited Nations Development Programme

UNICEFUnited Nations Children’s Fund

UNIDOUnited Nations Industrial Development Organization

UNUUnited NationsUniversity

WANEPWest Africa Network for Peace-building

WFPWorld Food Programme

Map of Ghana with Indication of Programme Sites

1. Introduction: Situation in Northern Ghana

While Ghana is generally regarded as an oasis of stability in a volatile West African sub-region and is making steady progress in its socio-economic development, the country faces a number of human security challenges which if not addressed could reverse much of the human development gains in this area. Of significance are recurrent incidents of conflicts in Northern Ghana, the most deprived area in the country.[1]

Empirical literature describes the northern regions of Ghana as the poorest in the country. According to the Ghana Human Poverty Index (G-HPI-1), their respective G-HPI-1 values in 2002/2003 are 64.4 for Northern Region, 66.2 for Upper East Region, and 63.7 for Upper West Region, being much higher than the National HPI-1 (41.0) as well as any other regions. This indicates that these three regions face more deprivations in health, education and decent standard of living. Also, other available statistics, as demonstrated in Table 1, show that it is only in those areas that the mass of the poor exceed half the population, where poverty means an inability to marshal up to $100 earnings a year.

Table 1: Proportion of the Poor in Population

Region / Poverty Rate (%)
All /

Urban

/

Rural

Upper West / 88.2 / n.a. / 94.1
Upper East / 83.9 / 60.2 / 94.5
Northern / 69.2 / 46.5 / 73.8
Central / 48.4 / 42.7 / 50.8
Eastern / 43.7 / 35.3 / 46.0
Volta / 37.7 / 37.8 / 37.7
Brong Ahafo / 35.8 / 7.6 / 46.5
Ashanti / 27.7 / 14.7 / 35.9
Western / 27.3 / 9.6 / 31.9
Greater Accra / 5.2 / 4.2 / 17.8

Source: Ghana Statistical Services (2003). Core Welfare Indicators Questionnaire (CWIQ) Survey

According to the Ghana Network for Peace-building (GHANEP), between 1980 and 2002, there were at least 23 conflicts in the three northern regions, notably the Dagbon chieftaincy crises in Yendi District (Northern Region), Kusasi-Mamprusi chieftaincy crises in Bawku Municipality (Upper East Region) and Wa chieftaincy crises in Wa Municipality (Upper West Region). In general, conflicts in all of these areas have been fuelled by a number of factors: chieftaincy disputes, inter- and intra-ethnic disputes, land disputes, religion, politics, and youthful exuberance. Although the issues are different from one District to the other, a common phenomenon in these conflicts is chieftaincy.

Chieftaincy is an important institution of traditional governance in Ghana and chiefs play an important role in social, political, and to some extent, economic development of communities. The position carries with its enormous prestige and symbolizes traditional power and authority as well as control over the use and dispensation of natural and other resources of the area. Despite these positive socio-cultural attributes, chieftaincy is often a source of dispute and at the centre of several types of communal conflicts in Ghana. Chieftaincy therefore is an important channel for promoting good governance and sustainable economic development.

Given the power and authority which goes with the position and its close ties to the ownership of resources including land, a key asset for agricultural activities in the northern regions, the position of chief is influential and therefore gives rise to conflict when new chiefs are to be selected.

For over 70 percent of the population of Northern Ghana, agriculture is the major source of livelihood. Yet agricultural production takes time between land cultivation and harvests. When conflicts erupt to disrupt that process at any point, output losses can and often lead to famine. In areas of low productivity, the crop loss of a particular year does not simply stop at famine in that particular year but also results in the unavailability of seed to plant in the following year. Poverty is thus entrenched.

Research shows that conflict and agricultural calendars have a correlation in Northern Ghana. In Yendi, for instance, disputes are settled after harvesting is over and people have more time. More money is also available which can be used to purchase armoury.[2] In the case of Bawku, conflicts generally occur at the beginning of farming seasons fuelled by disagreement over farming land since land ownership is a critical issue in the area.

Worst still, natural disasters often occur. In September 2007 for instance, much of Sub-Saharan Africa experienced heavy rainfall. In Ghana, the three northern regions suffered most when large tracts of land in the area got flooded with reported deaths exceeding 300 and over 200,000 being displaced.The flood situation resulted in the destruction of farmlands, houses, bridges, schools, health facilities, water supply and irrigation systems, food storage and processing facilities and loss of livestock and property,amounting to millions of dollars.

In addition, in recent years, there has been an increase in the production and availability of small arms in the northern regions, and for some people, arms production has become a lucrative venture. A 2006 baseline assessment on illicit small arms in Ghana estimated that there are 220,000 small arms in civilian hands, and only 95,000 of these are legally registered. The estimated number of unregistered locally-manufactured guns in Ghana is 75,000. Consequently, the use of small arms is becoming a common feature of disputes and their production is fuelled by demands not only in Ghana, but also in neighbouring countries such as Togo, Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire where their availability and illicit use exacerbate the magnitude of conflicts in the region.

Sustained violence and conflicts in Northern Ghana have resulted in the loss of human capital as well as destruction of socio-economic infrastructure, including schools and clinics, significantly halting and reversing the development process. Violent conflicts have also resulted in closure of some development projects, migration of productive age groups and public servants from the area. There has also been enormous loss of financial investment, further exacerbating the poverty situation.

Over the years, Ghana has played a leading role in resolving conflicts and strengthening peace keeping in West Africa, especially in Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire and is regarded as a strategic location. As a result, several peace building and development agencies have established their regional offices in the country. Among them are: FAO, the UN Humanitarian Response Depot, and Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre. The regional head office of the West Africa Network for Peace-building (WANEP), consisting of over 400 organizations in 12 West African countries, is also located in Accra, Ghana. These show that Ghana has a vital role in maintaining regional stability.

In the 1980s and 1990s, neighbouring countries such as Liberia, Sierra Leone and Cote d’Ivoire were considered to be stable until they faced severe conflicts and disputes which reversed most of the gains of socio-economic development. The Programme therefore takes the view that while relative stability prevails in Ghana currently, this cannot be assured unless preventative measures are put in place to address the ongoing conflicts in the northern regions. Left unchecked, they have the potential to destabilize the entire country.

It is against this background that this proposed interventionseeks support to put in place a Programme that addresses human security through developing local capacity for community-based conflict prevention in Northern Ghana using a holistic approach.

2. Rationale for Funding from the UNTFHS

The proposed Programme spans the multiple parameters of funding criteria of the UNTFHS and aims to tackle the inter-related Human Security challenges in Northern Ghana including recurrent conflicts, limited availability of food, income and employment opportunities, which threaten the survival, livelihood and dignity of the people in the northern regions.

This inter-agency and multi-sectoral intervention merits the support from the UNTFHS for the following reasons:

  • The three regions in Northern Ghana, which are classified as the poorest of Ghana’s ten regions are prone to insecurity arising from recurrent and protracted conflicts based on chieftaincy and land issues. Since wars and conflicts cost more at recovery stages than at prevention, it is critical to enhance human security through holistic conflict prevention in these conflict prone areas.
  • In line with the UN capacity development initiative, the intervention will strengthen the capacity of the duty bearers, i.e., Regional, District/Municipal authorities, as well as community leaders (especially chiefs) to provide good governance and leadership to prevent conflict and insecurity. Complementary activities to empower CSOs and communities to establish mechanisms to protect people exposed to extreme poverty and insecurity.
  • The bottom-up approach and strong involvement of District/Municipal and community leadership will engender ownership, ensure the success and sustainability of the initiative and the mainstreaming of conflict prevention and community empowerment approaches in District/Municipal and community level planning.
  • In this holistic Programme, promotion and strengthening of network andsocial ties among members of different ethnic and other groups which have been historicallyinvolved in conflicts through livelihood/poverty reduction activities will be one of the critical dimensions, which can build and enhance a firm foundation for conflict prevention.
  • Due to the recent floods which caused enormous level of damage in the three northern regions, the human security in the existing fragile and vulnerable conditions of the proposed Programme sites has been further worsened and a holistic recovery process is urgently needed.
  • The Programme builds on the relationships between UN agencies and with their partners and will employ a multi-sectoral and programming approach to enhance inter-agency collaboration, build synergies and increase the impact of interventions.

3. Context

3.1. Past and Existing Efforts and Gaps

The UN agencies in Ghana have supported the Government and local people through a number of initiatives aimed at conflict prevention, peace building and community capacity development in Northern Ghana.

Concerning peace building, UNDP has assisted the Government to establish a national mechanism for peace and to strengthen the peace process through facilitating dialoguing, trust and confidence building and peace and negotiation skills training in response to the Dagbon and Wa crises. Also, through its support, a National Small Arms Commission, a National Firearms Bureau and National and Regional Peace Councils have been established as part of national mechanism for conflict prevention. UNICEF also assisted conflicting ethnic groups and youth leaders for peace and productive ventures.

In respect of livelihoods and capacity development at the community level, a number of UN agencies, including UNDP, UNICEF, WFP, FAO, UNIDO, and UNU, have been supporting local government institutions and community members in Northern Ghana by using their comparative advantages. The major areas of support include income generation, employment creation, agriculture, natural resource management, nutrition, and education. Also, a couple of projects for capacity development of decentralized government departments and community members for holistic sustainable livelihoods have been launched.

Other development partners, such as CIDA, DANIDA, JICA and IFAD, have also been supporting Northern Ghana in the areas of food security, health, water and sanitation. Other donors have also funded Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) for conflict prevention and peace building.

The afore-mentioned projects and programmes have contributed to tackling various aspects of the human security challenges in Northern Ghana. However, these activities have not strategically linked conflict prevention and livelihoods/capacity development to ensure sustainable peace and development in communities. Thus this will be the first Programme which addresses multifaceted challenges of Northern Ghana, aiming at conflict prevention through holistic, community-based, and preventative measures.

3.2. Programme Identification and Formulation

The programme formulation dates back to August 2006. Six UN agencies realized the necessity of tackling the multidimensional human security situation in Northern Ghana as a UN Country Team. The Team went through an assessment of on-going programmes of the UN agencies and comparative advantages, situation analysis and identification of potential areas for joint programming. Based on these, discussion and agreement on lead agencies and group formation for all objectives, and drafting a Results and Resources Framework was undertaken.

A conflict mapping survey was conducted in early 2007, and subsequently a more detailed framework, including proposed Programme sites, was formulated by the UNCountry Team.

After submission of the Concept Note to the Human Security Unit/UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on the 26th of June 2007, the UN Country Team started a full consultation, involvement and joint-programming process with local stakeholders at different levels through a bottom-up approach.

From the 21st to 30th of August 2007, two representatives from the UN Country Team in conjunction with a local consultant conducted a consultation mission to all the potential Programme sites and their regional capitals, i.e., Northern Region (Tamale, Yendi), Upper East Region (Bolgatanga, Bawku), Upper West Region (Wa). The mission briefed Regional and District/Municipal-level stakeholders on the programme formulation for human security and their potential roles (local government; peace, security and development focused MDAs and CSOs); conducted Focus Group Discussions at the community-level with validation, data collection and reflection of their views and local context (traditional leaders/chiefs, women, men, youth and CBOs); and conducted initial consultation so as to incorporate local stakeholders’ views and the local context into the programme formulation.