Abstract:
Socio-economic development is viewed as a pre-requisite for improving the
living standards of people in the developing world. Internal peace and stability are
indeed indispensable conditions for any progress towards meeting the national
development objectives of developing countries. However, violent intra-state
conflicts since the 1980s have been major impediments to the development of many
countries in continental Africa south of the Sahara. This has resulted in
homelessness, economic stagnation, unemployment, widespread poverty and cycles
of conflicts in affected societies.
Northern Ghana frequently experiences destructive conflicts relating to land
and chieftaincy succession disputes which negatively affect the region’s
developmental advances. This study examines how non-governmental organisations
(NGOs) contribute to building peace for broad-based development. The research
reveals that peacebuilding NGOs, alongside the state agencies and international
community, play important stabilisation role in post-conflict societies due to their
neutral, non-profit and non-partisan status.
