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Mr James Abdulai Ayaala, Deputy Northern Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has advised members of the public to use dialogue as means of resolving their differences to maintain peace in their communities.

He said it was vital to eschew the act of violence in addressing grievances and individual concerns, and urged the citizenry to peacefully coexist with one another to ensure sustainable peace and development.

Mr Ayaala gave the advice at a social auditing engagement, organised by the Kumbungu District Directorate of the NCCE at Tignaayili, a community in the Kumbungu District.

He reiterated that without peace, there would be no development, hence the need for them to choose the path of peace.

The engagement was part of planned activities under the NCCE’s Accountability, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme supported by the European Union to promote good governance, accountability and transparency by reducing corruption related practices in institutions.

It was attended by various interest groups in the community, and sought to allow community members to make assessment of their needs and prioritise them, as well as seek solutions from duty-bearers.

Mr Mohammed Ibrahim, Senior Civic Education Officer at the Kumbungu District Directorate of the NCCE, elaborated on the concept of social auditing, saying it was to promote community ownership of development projects and policies, increase awareness on the operations of the local government, and empower the people to demand accountability from authorities.

Mr Ibrahim emphasised the need for the people to demand accountability from duty-bearers, as well as monitor all development projects being undertaken in their community to ensure value for money.

Mr Justice Azumah Komla, Kumbungu District Police Commander, urged the people to be watchdogs in the community and assist the Police by giving information that would lead to the arrest of criminals in the community.

The residents mentioned the lack of clinic, poor teaching and learning, indiscriminate felling of trees, inadequate educational infrastructure and growing insecurity in the community as their pressing issues that required the attention of authorities.

A committee was formed in the community to devise strategies to engage stakeholders to find solutions to the community’s problems.