The National Peace Council is advocating the creation of a homegrown peace measurement system to help Ghana identify and address local conflicts before they escalate.
David Esinu Yao Normanyo is proposing the development of a Ghana Peace Index (GPI-G) to complement the global peace ranking system by focusing on internal threats to stability across districts and regions.
Speaking during the 2026 World Press Freedom Day celebration at the Volta Press Centre in Ho, Dr Normanyo said the proposed framework would provide a more detailed picture of peace and security challenges within Ghana.
He explained that unlike the Institute for Economics and Peace’s Global Peace Index, which focuses largely on international relations and militarisation, the local model would examine grassroots tensions.
The proposed index would monitor issues such as chieftaincy disputes, land conflicts, ethnic clashes, illegal arms proliferation, violent crime, kidnappings, protests and election-related violence.
Dr Normanyo said it would also assess what he described as “reactive peace” by tracking curfews and security deployments as indicators of instability.
According to him, the index would rank all 16 regions and Ghana’s 261 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies based on their levels of peacefulness.
The rankings, he noted, would help authorities identify fragile communities and respond early to prevent violence.
He added that the system would also evaluate how media reporting contributes to either reducing tensions or escalating conflict.
Dr Normanyo urged journalists to embrace peace journalism while continuing to hold leaders accountable.
According to the 2025 Global Peace Index, Ghana ranked 61st globally and was the seventh most peaceful country in Sub-Saharan Africa.
He said that ranking should not create complacency, especially as peace levels across Sub-Saharan Africa continue to decline.
