The German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, has praised Ghana for its commitment towards peace in Africa and the world.
According to the Chancellor, the nation’s commitment to peace and democratic stability, indeed, made her “a beacon of hope for the region.”
Olaf Scholz said this on Tuesday, October 31, 2023, on his visit to the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) as part of his two-day tour of Ghana.
His address touched on security in the region and activities at the United Nations, calling for some reforms.
Referring to a statement by Kofi Annan on the relationship between good governance, democratic participation, and peace, Scholz said a good way to avoid conflicts was to encourage inclusive democracy, which gave everyone a say in the things that affect their lives.
“That is why it was so important that ECOWAS called on the military government in Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso to restore democratic order. At the same time, this is why Ghana is such a beacon of hope for the region and such a close partner to us,” he remarked.
The German Chancellor continued that Ghana’s democratic stability had been firmly rooted in the democratic tradition and governance guided by the rule of law.
COOPERATION
He indicated that it was important to have highly trained security personnel and apparatus to fight terrorism, and so was regional cooperation.
He observed that lack of cooperation was one of the concerning repercussions of the series of coups between states in the Sahel, and those of the Gulf of Guinea.
Against that background, he commended the Accra Initiative, which, he said, would help share ideas among countries in the region to fight terrorism, adding that Germany was ready to support that.
APPRECIATION
The President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said in his brief remarks that the years of cooperation between Ghana and Germany culminated in the establishment of the KAIPTC in 2004.
According to the President, evaluating the contribution of the Centre, supporting it was something that ought to emanate from the government naturally, thus his administration’s assistance.
President Akufo-Addo informed his counterpart, Scholz, that peace was the bedrock of progress, citing the demands of the Sustainable Development Goal 16.
He cited the Africa SDGs index and dashboards report that said countries in Africa lagging behind in the implementation of Goal 16 were those experiencing conflicts.
He acknowledged that regardless of sustainable progress made in curbing conflicts on the continent, some countries were still grappling with triple threats of humanitarian, development, and security threats.
“It is for this reason that, on behalf of the people and government of Ghana, I express my sincere appreciation to the people and government of Germany for the many years of support they continue to offer the centre, President Akufo-Addo concluded his speech.
On behalf of the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel, Leonardo Santos Simão, the Resident Coordinator, Charles Abani, commended the Ghana-German partnership.
“The partnership between Ghana and Germany continues to be of immense support to the multilateral system, which underpins the UN’s work and is critical for international peace, sustainable development, and stability,” he said.
