The Upper West Region is located in north-western Ghana and shares an international boundary with Burkina Faso to the north and west, with the Black Volta River forming a significant natural boundary along parts of the western frontier. The region comprises eleven Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies and is characterised by rich cultural diversity, with Dagaaba, Wala, and Sissala communities forming the major ethnic groups. Christianity, Islam, and African Traditional Religion are the principal religious traditions. The region has a strong tradition of peaceful coexistence, although it continues to experience challenges including chieftaincy and succession disputes, land and boundary conflicts, farmer-herder tensions, religious and political disputes, and emerging cross-border security concerns.

 About The Upper West Regional Peace Council (UWRPC)

The Upper West Regional Peace Council (UWRPC) is a decentralised structure of the National Peace Council of Ghana, established pursuant to the National Peace Council Act, 2011 (Act 818). The Regional Peace Council Secretariat commenced operations in the Upper West Region in September 2013, with the mandate to support the prevention, management, and resolution of conflicts and contribute to sustainable peace in the region.

The UWRPC promotes dialogue, mediation, negotiation, consensus-building, preventive diplomacy, peace education, early warning and early response, and collaborative approaches to conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Its strategic interventions focus on conflict prevention and resolution, strengthening local peace infrastructure, community resilience, social cohesion, women’s and youth participation, preventing violent extremism, countering hate speech and harmful narratives, and cross-border peacebuilding.

The Regional Secretariat, headed by the Regional Executive Secretary, serves as the Council’s operational and technical arm. It works collaboratively with government institutions, traditional and religious authorities, security agencies, local government structures, civil society organisations, development partners, media, women and youth groups, and community-based organisations.

Through these partnerships, the Upper West Regional Peace Council remains committed to building a peaceful, inclusive, resilient, and cohesive Upper West Region, where conflicts are addressed through dialogue, mediation, collaboration, local ownership, and other peaceful mechanisms.