The Navrongo-Bolgatanga Catholic Diocesan Development Organisation (NABOCADO) is cautioning development actors against implementing projects without first understanding the social, cultural and conflict dynamics of beneficiary communities.
The organisation says development interventions that fail to account for existing tensions and relationships risk creating new divisions and undermining the very communities they are intended to support.
Speaking during a conversation to mark World Peace Day 2026 on A1 Radio, Theophilus Abolga, Director of Justice, Peace and Humanitarian Response at NABOCADO, said development must be guided by conflict-sensitive planning from the outset.
“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 explained that NABOCADO first analyses the actors, relationships and potential fault lines within a community before introducing an intervention.
He said the assessment also determines who is best placed to lead an intervention, particularly in communities where issues of identity, faith or local relationships could affect acceptance.
“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 said.
According to him, understanding these dynamics helps ensure that development projects are properly aligned with the realities of the communities they are intended to serve.
Mr Abolga said community ownership is another critical component of NABOCADO’s peacebuilding approach.
He said the organisation begins engaging communities from the entry stage and establishes community peace structures made up of local people who understand their own culture and social dynamics.
“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, he explained, provides monitoring, capacity building and technical support while allowing local structures to take the lead in peacebuilding activities.
Mr Abolga said this approach makes interventions more sustainable because communities are actively involved in shaping and implementing solutions.
“When they own it themselves, the initiative becomes lasting,” he said.
He added that some community peace actors have subsequently shared their experiences with neighbouring communities through engagements and radio discussions.
Mr Abolga also highlighted the role of traditional leaders and existing kinship networks in resolving community conflicts.
He said NABOCADO has supported the capacity of traditional mediation teams to lead peace processes by drawing on shared ancestry, culture and relationships.
“They understood their own culture. They were able to carry it out at every step,” he said.
He stressed that development organisations must therefore work with, rather than bypass, legitimate local structures when designing interventions in communities.
Source: Bolgafmonline.com| 102.7 MHz| Bolgatanga
