MEDIA DRIVES PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE BETWEEN LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND FULBE TRIBES – CLIP DIRECTOR
Journalists across selected districts in the Upper East and Upper West Regions have undergone specialized capacity-building training aimed at promoting peaceful coexistence between host communities and migratory Fulbe pastoralists. The conflict-sensitive training program brought together broadcast media practitioners from Sissala East and Sissala West in the Upper West Region, as well as Bolgatanga Central, Garu, Bawku West (Zebilla), and Kassena-Nankana West in the Upper East Region.
Speaking during the opening ceremony, Mr. Lukman Yussif, the Director of the Community Life Improvement Programme (CLIP), underscored the influential power of media broadcasting in shaping public discourse and mitigating agro-pastoral tensions. “The media holds a very strong hand in shaping narratives and perspectives in our communities,” Mr. Yussif stated. He emphasized that because nomadic Fulbes cross into Ghana with their livestock seeking feed and water, the media can play a pivotal role to ensure they live peacefully with host communities, preventing land destruction that leads to confusion and conflict.
Mr. Yussif highlighted that changing climate patterns in the Sahel region are forcing nomadic pastoralists southward into northern Ghana. While acknowledging Ghana’s hospitality and regional commitments under ECOWAS free movement protocols, he stressed the need for structured local integration to prevent resource-based disputes.
While CLIP currently operates across all five northern regions of Ghana since its inception in 1997, Mr. Yussif noted that this specific initiative forms part of the “ACTIVE Project”.
The project is implemented in partnership with Action for Life and sponsored by the Crisis and Support Centre of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The intervention targets key hotspot communities in Sissala East District including Banu, Kunchogu, Wuru, Kasana, Kwapun, and surrounding settlements. In Sissala West District, targeted communities include Jeffisi, Kuplima, Zini, Yentie, Dakuma, Bullu, and many other border and pastoral corridor settlements across the Upper East Region.
The workshop was led by lead facilitator Mr. Nicholas Nambirigya Azebire from Dreams FM in Bolgatanga, supported by technical expertise from Dr.Sohuyini. During the practical sessions, participating journalists were taken through conflict-sensitive reporting techniques and organized into working groups to design specialized radio messages, jingles, and programming tailored for local airplay. These messages focus on promoting mutual understanding, resolving land-use friction, and highlighting the economic potential of sustainable agro-pastoralism.
Participants pledged to utilize their respective radio platforms to foster peace, promote adherence to local regulations, and build social cohesion across border communities.
By Bashiru Nuhu Bapagu