National Peace Council engages Political Parties on Trust building

The National Peace Council (NPC) as part of its quarterly engagement with political parties on trust building and peace, underscored the tackle the increasing political party financing, monetisation and transitional concerns.

The Chairman of the NPC Governing Board Chair, Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, noted the vital role political parties play in ensuring a healthy democracy.

He entreated the representative to consider the engagement as an effort to find ways of addressing the issues of monetisation in politics, the campaign term limit among others.

The NPC Deputy Director of Conflict Management and Resolution, Mr. Frank Wilson Bodza shared the outcomes of the 2024 Post Election Evaluation held in Koforidua with the representatives.

Likewise, Mr. William Nyarko of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD Ghana), shared findings of the increasing cost of funding election campaigns in Ghana.

He noted that vote buying and selling, filing fees among others contributed to increasing monetisation of the political process.

The Political Party representatives who admitted the canker increasing monetisation in the political process, expressed worry about the growing trend and largely agreed on the need to address the issue.

While some representative called for empowering the NPC by making it an authority, with others even proposing supporting the work of NPC by educating the people on the civics.

Political parties present at the meeting included the Ghana Union Movement (GUM), All People’s Congress (APC), Progressive Peoples Party (PPP), The Ghana Freedom Party (GFP), Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), United One Ghana, Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), New Patriotic Party (NPP), and Action Peoples’ Party (APP).

Other organisations present were the UNDP, CDD Ghana and the staff of the NPC including the NPC Executive Secretary, Dr. George Amoh and Deputy Director of Administration and Human Resources, Mrs. Rita Yali.