President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called on African countries to unite, coordinate and strategise to fight and defeat terrorism on the continent.
He noted that the breakaway of global terror groups in the face of the porous African borders called for a regional and continental approach to contain the growing threat of terrorists and extremists, who take advantage of such situations to perpetuate crimes against humanity.
President Akufo-Addo made the call in Accra on Wednesday at a forum in memory of late Kofi Annan, the late former Secretary General of the United Nations and highly respected world diplomatic icon.
He noted that the collaboration of armed forces and intelligent agencies “is absolutely essential to successfully battle against terrorism”.
The President said that the elimination of poverty on the continent and its related endemic illiteracy, unemployment and bad governance, as well as the adoption of appropriate technology, can help transform West Africa.
The programme, which was reported by the Ghanaian Times on Thursday, was attended by some high profile personalities, past heads of African states, John Dramani Mahama of Ghana; Hassan Sheik Mohamud of Somalia; Pierre Buyoya of Burundi, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone; and Prof. Amos Sawyer of Liberia.
The wife of the late diplomat, Mrs. Nane Annan and Dr. Ibn Chambas, UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, attended the programme.
DAP/GIK/APA