From 20th to 24 th May, 2024, two members of Youth Without Borders Ghana, Mr Tajudeen
Haruna and Miss Aisha Issah, participated in a five-day training program on Preventing and
Countering Violent Extremism and Terrorism (PCVET) at the Kofi Annan International
Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) of the National Defense University (NDU) Ghana
in Accra.
The training which was jointly co-organised by the African Union Counter Terrorism Centre
(AUCTC) and KAIPTC and financed by the African Union (AU) and Deutsche Gesellschaft
für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), a German development agency brought together
over 20 participants from 11 West African countries comprising Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Cote
d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, Gambia, Benin, Cape Verde, and Senegal. Participants were dranw
from government agencies, military, law enforcement, academia and civil society
organisations (CSOs) to contribute to and benefit from the program's comprehensive
approach to addressing violent extremism.

The training explored various dimensions of violent extremism, including its relationship
with governance, gender, technology, and community development. Key topics covered
included:

• Radicalization, deradicalization, counter radicalisation, and disengagement
  and reintegration
• Roles of local communities, youth, women, and traditional authorities in
  shaping youth vulnerability to extremist narratives
• Terrorist financing and the architecture that sustains it
• Cyber radicalization, cyber terrorism and the use of ICTs and emerging
  technologies by terrorist groups and its counter measures
• Practical strategies for the reintegration of former violent extremists
• Developing community resilient measures for early warning and early
  response including human security response approach to violent extremism.
  The training was facilitated by leading experts, drawn from AUCTC, KAIPTC and other key
  institutions in Africa including the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding. The facilitators
  brought clarity to the practical challenges faced by communities on the frontline of violent
  extremism. The WY participants underscored the training’s immense contribution to shaping
  their understanding and knowledge on violent extremism and terrorism.

Mr Tajudeen Haruna remarked that “the training was both intellectually enriching and
personally enlightening because it reinforced the understanding that violent extremism is not
born in a vacuum but grows when they are broken trusts, socio economic marginalization and
unaddressed grievances. The solution therefore must begin at the communities as well as at
the policy table”. For Miss Aisha Issah, “the training on gender was particularly profound
for her. She reflected on the possibility of women been sidelined in peacebuilding initiatives
despite their ability to serve as early warners, community advocacy agents and resistance
builders”.

The knowledge acquired during the PCVET training will significantly inform YWB Ghana's
programming. The Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) Working Group of YWB Ghana plans to
conduct school-based community sensitization forums on radicalization and youth
vulnerability to violent extremism, launch digital literacy campaigns to equip young people to
resist online extremist narratives, as well as engage with chiefs, women leaders, and religious
actors to deepen knowledge of extremist ideologies
The KAIPTC training on preventing and countering violent extremism was a valuable
experience for YWB Ghana members. With the right knowledge, partnerships, and
community engagement, the organization is committed to creating environments where
violent extremism has no appeal and peace has a lasting presence.