The Navrongo-Bolgatanga Catholic Diocesan Development Organisation (NABOCADO) has cautioned development organisations against implementing projects without understanding the social, cultural and conflict dynamics of beneficiary communities.
The organisation says poorly designed interventions can deepen existing tensions, create new divisions and ultimately undermine the communities they are intended to support.
Speaking as part of activities marking the 2026 International Day of Peace, Theophilus Abolga, Director of Justice, Peace and Humanitarian Response at NABOCADO, said development interventions must be conflict-sensitive from the planning stage.
“If you are coming into a community and the first thing you do is start creating divisions, then already you are failing,” he said.
Mr Abolga said NABOCADO assesses the actors, relationships and potential fault lines within communities before implementing interventions.
According to him, such assessments also help determine who is best placed to lead an intervention, particularly where religious identity, culture or existing relationships could influence how an organisation or individual is received.
“The fact that at NABOCADO I lead in peacebuilding doesn’t mean that everywhere else I can go. There are areas that, because of my faith, I am not able to go there. So somebody else will have to take the lead,” he explained.
Mr Abolga said community ownership is equally important in preventing development interventions from creating unintended tensions.
He explained that NABOCADO engages communities from the beginning and establishes local peace structures involving people who understand the culture, relationships and dynamics within their communities.
“They are of the same community. So all that they are doing, they are doing it mindful of the culture of that particular environment,” he said.
NABOCADO then provides capacity building, monitoring and technical support while allowing the community structures to take the lead in peacebuilding activities.
“When they own it themselves, the initiative becomes lasting,” Mr Abolga said.
He noted that some community peace actors have subsequently shared their experiences with neighbouring communities through community engagements and radio discussions, extending lessons beyond the areas where interventions initially began.
Mr Abolga also stressed the importance of traditional leaders and existing kinship networks in resolving disputes.
He said NABOCADO has supported traditional mediation teams to strengthen their capacity to lead peace processes using their understanding of local culture, shared ancestry and relationships.
“They understood their own culture. They were able to carry it out at every step,” he said.
Mr Abolga therefore urged development organisations to work with legitimate community structures rather than bypass them, arguing that understanding local dynamics and giving communities ownership of interventions can help ensure development projects contribute to peace instead of creating new sources of conflict.
A1 Radio | 101.1 MHz | Moses Apiah | Bolgatanga
