The call by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for structural transformation of the economies of West Africa from raw material exporters to value-addition industrialised countries to create jobs for the teeming youth is the ultimate deterrent to threats of violent extremism is one of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Thursday.
The Graphic reports that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called for the structural transformation of the economies of West Africa from raw material exporters to value-addition industrialised countries to create jobs for the teeming youth is the ultimate deterrent to threats of violent extremism.
The region, he explained, must, therefore, marshal all its strengths and resources to attain that feat to halt the increasing trend of threats to its peace and security.
The President, who is also the Chairman of ECOWAS, made the assertion when he opened the 2021 Kofi Annan Peace and Security Forum in Accra yesterday.
The international forum attracted a number of former Presidents from across the globe, including Mr John Agyekum Kufuor of Ghana and Mrs Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, as well as security and peace experts.
The two-day forum is on the theme: “Democracy and governance in the context of complex crises in West Africa”.
It is being organised by the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) and the Kofi Annan Foundation, with support from the governments of Germany, Norway and Sweden.
President Akufo-Addo noted that many countries in the Sahel continued to witness a steady rise in violent extremist activities, with many of the territories already threatened by extremism and the intensification of deadly attacks, while new areas were coming under attack.
Recounting the work of ECOWAS over the years, he said the regional body had learnt three decades of conflict prevention lessons.
However, he said, to be proud of the successes chalked up by the regional ectogenic group was not to be blind to its weaknesses or lose sight of the critical threats that continued to undermine security in the region.
The newspaper says that Agilitee Africa, a green tech solution provider, is seeking an opportunity to enter the Ghanaian automobile market with the establishment of an assembly plant to produce electric vehicles (EVs) locally.
As a result, the South African-based firm is concluding discussions with its Ghanaian partners to lay a solid foundation for the assembly, and, ultimately, the production of electric vehicle solutions including battery swapping stations, solar charging facilities and other co-friendly products such as solar television sets.
When established, the plant will further give a boost to the government’s vision to make Ghana a fully integrated and competitive industrial hub for the automotive industry in West Africa.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Agilitee Africa, Dr Mandla Lamba, who made known during a virtual interaction with the media on December 7, observed that his company settled on Ghana because it believes that the West Africa country was more ready for the green revolution.
This, he said, was evidenced in several efforts made by the President of Ghana to promote green or clean energy on the entire African continent.
“We believe that Ghana is more ready for this green revolution following the efforts of the Ghanaian President to push not only Ghana but the entire continent towards that direction.
“The Ghanaian President is one of the smartest leaders Africa has ever produced and following his lead we are looking forward to penetrate Ghana’s market,” he said.
The Ghanaian Times reports that the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) in collaboration with nine companies, yesterday, launched two pandemic management projects designed to help build the health and economic resilience of the country.
The three-year initiatives, estimated to cost 13 million euros, are “Pandemic management in catchment communities in times of COVID-19 and beyond and “Comprehensive pandemic for employees, families and communities. “
The partners are Anglo Gold Ashanti (Iduapriem and Obuasi mines); Golden Exotics Limited; Blue Skies; Coca Cola Ghana; Appointed Time Printing (ATP); Golden Star; Asanko Gold Ghana and Kasapreko Company Limited.
Giving an overview of the projects, the Technical Advisor of develoPP Health, the funding programme at GIZ, Mary Bonsu, said the first project is expected to enrol 60,000 people onto the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and ensure 150,000 would receive medical care (including vaccinations).
She said nine district assemblies and the Chamber of Mines would be able to react better to pandemics through capacity development, introduction of standard procedures and technological advancement.
For the second project, she said about 8,000 employees would benefit from better working conditions through improvements in health and safety at the workplace; improvements in social protection and access to companies employee welfare programmes.
She said 700 people would be helped to increase their resistance against financial shocks during pandemics through the interventions such as opening savings accounts; taking up any other forms of insurance apart from health and participating in economic trainings.
The Team Leader of develoPP Health, Dr Holger Till, said the programme which had already started, was necessitated by lessons from the pandemic and the need to strengthen the country’s ability to withstand shocks from future pandemics especially in the area of health and economy.
He said the partnership with other companies was initiated because the GIZ believed in the power of teamwork through which the unique abilities of individuals are harnessed for collective good.
“We are working together to ensure a better health system. Beyond this COVID-19 pandemic, we cannot relax but prepare to manage it,” he said.
The newspaper says that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has pledged to hand over power peacefully in 2025 in line with the country’s dem¬ocratic system that limits presidential terms to two.
He said he would not make any substantial modification to electoral laws in the last six months to the next election nor be an impediment to the conduct of a free and fair election in the country.
Speaking at the 2nd Kofi Annan Peace and Security Forum in Accra yesterday, he rallied his fellow presidents in West Africa to also take the pledge as they continue to promote democracy and governance in their respective countries and the region at large.
“I am pleased to reaffirm before you my unshakable belief in the principles of democratic accountability that constitutes the basics of good governance in our member states.
“As President of Ghana and the current chair of the Authority of Heads of States of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and governments, I intend to continue to respect the tenets of ECOWAS protocol on democracy and good governance,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo’s pledge comes at a time some African presidents are amending their country’s constitution to extend their presidential terms, leading to chaos in those countries.
Instituted in 2019 by the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) and the Kofi Annan Foundation, as tribute to the late former United Nations Secretary-General, the annual two-day forum is a platform to discuss issues of peace and security on the continent.
This edition scheduled earlier for last year, is on the theme: “Democracy and governance in the contest of complex crises in West Africa and coincides with 20 years since the ECOWAS adopted its protocol on democracy and good governance to promote peace in the region.”
GIK/APA