Daily Graphic - mardi 25 mai 2004
"Observe good governance"
Story : Michael Donkor
THE Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Akwasi Osi-Adjei, has called on African leaders to observe the tenets of good governance in the management of their economies.
He said as political leaders, they had the responsibility to ensure
that the issue of good governance was brought to bear on the
administration of their economies in averting conflict situations
which threaten their very survival.
Mr Osei-Adjei made the call in Accra yesterday when he opened a
three-day political-military seminar dubbed "Recamp 2004".
The seminar was organized by the Ghana Armed Forces, in
collaboration with the French Armed Forces.
The seminar forms part of the French governement's effort to promote
greater stability in Africa, as well as reinforce African
peacekeeping capabilities.
It also aims at equipping the political authorities, as well as the
armed forces of African countries, to properly position themselves in
resolving conflicts, without necessarily having to rely on the
traditional United Nations system for support in peacekeeping
operations.
Mr Osei-Adjei noted that the efforts of the French government in
empowering national security systems and regional and sub-regional
groupings to enhance their capacity to handle peacekeeping at their
own levels constituted a welcome intervention.
He said as African leaders, they should be guided by the
Constitutive Act of the African Union and the provisions in the UN
Charter which dealt with the peaceful resolution of conflicts during
peacekeeping operations.
He expressed the hope that the seminar would play a crucial role in
preventive diplomacy by empowering regional institutions to gather
information on early warning systems to help prevent conflicts from
spreading.
The Commandant of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Centre,
Brigadier-General Charles Mankattah, sait the seminar was timely,
particularly since it was at a time when several peacekeeping
operations were going on in Africa.
He noted that there were many challenges in preparing and
maintaining troops in peacekeeping operations and added that unless
the armed forces of African countries strove to meet the challenges
successfully, their efforts would be in vain.