The DRIVE Index offers Ghana a chance to consolidate its strengths, address its vulnerabilities
The National Peace Council (NPC) and it partners have lunched the Development and Resilience Index Against Violent Extremism, (DRIVE INDEX) to strengthen enduring Ghana’s commitment to peace, stability and democratic resilience.
The NPC Governing Board Chairman, Most Rev Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, in a remark read on his behalf, noted that the DRIVE is not just another research exercise but “a cutting-edge, evidence-based decision-making tool designed to help the state and its partners understand what makes communities resilient or vulnerable to violent extremist influence.”
“By combining community perceptions, psychosocial factors, governance indicators and development realities, the DRIVE INDEX gives us clear, localized and actionable data to guide prevention efforts” he said.
The Chairman further explained that since northern Ghana faces direct cross-border risks, the DRIVE Index offers Ghana a dual benefit: targeted prevention in at-risk areas and a broader national tool for monitoring social cohesion, democratic confidence, and early warning signs of instability.
The proposed pilot from October 2025 to June 2026 emphasises co-creation, national ownership and institutional participation.
The DRIVE Index offers Ghana a chance to consolidate its strengths, address its vulnerabilities and lead by example in data-driven peacebuilding in West Africa.
Hoff Mirko of Resilience for Peace in a presentation showcased the essence of the DRIVE Index, detailing the approach and strategies used in the survey.
Dr Edward Apratwum, Head of Governance and Inclusive Growth at United Nations Development Programme, stressed that sustainable peace requires the attainment of security, social development and affirmed the UNDP support for the programme.
Importantly, DRIVE aligns seamlessly with Ghana’s existing frameworks, including the National Framework for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism and Terrorism.
By embedding DRIVE indicators into national and local planning processes, we can strengthen coordination among institutions, optimize resource allocation, and ensure that policies are guided by evidence rather than assumptions.
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Source:
www.ghanaweb.com