The Executive Director of the Navrongo-Bolgatanga Catholic Diocesan Development Organisation (NABOCADO), Dr Joseph Bangu, has called for peacebuilding to be integrated into development planning, warning that conflict can bring economic and social activities to a standstill.
He said NABOCADO has consequently integrated peacebuilding into its interventions in health, education, livelihoods and agriculture rather than treating it as a separate activity.
“For us, peacebuilding is a pastoral priority. If there is no peace, there is no way you can preach. There’s no way people can go to work. Development will come to a standstill,” Dr Bangu said.
He was speaking as part of activities marking the 2026 International Day of Peace.
Dr Bangu said NABOCADO assesses peace and conflict dynamics before introducing development projects into communities to avoid interventions worsening existing tensions.
He explained that the process includes identifying traditional leaders, assembly members, women and other influential actors, as well as understanding relationships that may not be immediately visible to outsiders.
“You may have the eyes, but the invisible walls are on,” he said, stressing the importance of understanding underlying community dynamics before implementing projects.
“There are instances in which you get to a community and realise that, look, unless we go back and do our background work well before we enter,” he added.
Dr Bangu said NABOCADO works with the National Peace Council to understand the conflict landscape in communities and determine how development interventions can be implemented without creating or deepening tensions.
Where conflicts already exist, he said the organisation analyses the situation, identifies the relevant actors and gradually creates opportunities for dialogue.
“We are able to identify and do an analysis of the whole context. Then we are able to gradually bring the actors together,” he said.
NABOCADO is also seeking to strengthen peace education among young people. Dr Bangu disclosed that a draft resolution from the Diocese’s Pastoral Congress proposes the establishment of peace clubs in Catholic schools.
He said the initiative forms part of efforts to make peacebuilding a continuous process rather than an intervention undertaken only after conflicts emerge.
According to Dr Bangu, NABOCADO’s work is guided by a human security approach that recognises peace and safety as essential to people’s ability to work, access services and improve their livelihoods.
He acknowledged that peacebuilding can be expensive and time-consuming but said the organisation remains committed to working with communities to restore dialogue and peaceful engagement.
“It’s difficult, but that’s what we, as a faith-based organisation, decided to do,” Dr Bangu said.
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