The Secretary General for the Sahel Peace Initiative (SPI) Regional Coordination Office, Rev. Fr Hermann Ouedraogo, has described Ghana as “a blessing” to the regional peace network, praising the country for its commitment to peace building, welcoming refugees from the Sahel and promoting peaceful coexistence across West Africa.
Addressing participants at the 2026 National Forum of the Sahel Peace Initiative in Accra on July 23, Fr Ouedraogo praised Ghana’s contribution to peace building and its commitment to supporting communities affected by the security crisis in the Sahel.
“Ghana, as a full member of our five countries, is truly a blessing for SPI,” he said.
He added that the cultural, practical and linguistic differences among SPI’s member countries had become a source of strength rather than division.
“Our differences in practical, cultural, and linguistic realities are not an obstacle. They are a richness and a diversity that strengthen our organisation,” he said.
Fr Ouedraogo went further, saying Ghana’s contribution to the initiative had been so significant that, if it had not already been a member, every effort would have been made to bring it into the organisation.
“If Ghana were not part of SPI, everything would have been done to bring it in,” he said to applause from participants.
He also thanked Ghana for opening its doors to refugees fleeing violence in the Sahel and for its continued efforts to promote peace and peaceful coexistence across the region.
“Thank you to Ghana, which opened its doors to refugees from the Sahel and which works tirelessly for the return of peace and for peaceful coexistence in our region,” he said.
Reflecting on SPI’s journey since its establishment in 2019, Fr Ouedraogo said the initiative had learnt valuable lessons from its work across Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.
Among these lessons, he said, were the importance of interreligious dialogue in preventing radicalisation, the need to respond to the realities of local communities and the understanding that lasting peace is built on trust between citizens and public institutions.
Fr Ouedraogo also commended SPI Ghana and its partners for quickly translating regional commitments into concrete action.
He praised stakeholders under the leadership of Archbishop Gabriel Justice Yaw Anokye for organising a roundtable discussion on July 22 to contextualise and implement the Bamako Call for Peace in Ghana following the recent Bamako Forum.
“This is concrete proof that our commitments do not remain mere words but are translated into action,” he said.
He congratulated SPI Ghana stakeholders for what he described as their tireless efforts to promote peace and coexistence within Ghana and across the wider West African sub-region.
In a light hearted moment, Fr Ouedraogo said he had told one of the organisers that “everything is nice in Ghana” before inviting participants to applaud the country for its hospitality and commitment to peace.
He expressed the hope that the national forum would provide a fruitful opportunity for dialogue and collaboration as Ghana continues to strengthen its preparedness against the spill over effects of insecurity from the Sahel.
The Sahel Peace Initiative was launched in 2019 by the Episcopal Conferences of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire in partnership with Catholic Relief Services. It seeks to strengthen the Church’s role in promoting peace, social cohesion and hope in communities affected by conflict across the Sahel and West Africa.
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