Accra, Oct. 6, - Africa's
objective of an integrated Africa cannot be achieved without peace and
stability on the continent, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said.
He stressed that the continent's efforts at integration would be
gloom-ridden if African states continued to battle with the human security
challenges which confronted their peoples, saying, "No country would want
to integrate with another whose house is on fire.”
Addressing the opening of the 9th
High-Level African Union Retreat on the Promotion of Peace, Security and
Stability in Africa in Accra on Thursday, the President advised that Africa
took lessons from the over six decades of European integration and adopt the
step-by-step determination of that continent for integration which had been
successful in bringing peace, prosperity and development to the majority of
Europe.
He said that it was a widely
acknowledged fact that the formation of the European Union (EU) had helped,
since the end of World War II in 1945, prevent war amongst its members.
"History teaches us that
Austria, Britain, France, Germany and Italy had for centuries waged wars over
religion, territory and power.
“The creation of a free market,
concealing economic and geographical borders, was intended to erode the
justification for using war as the quickest avenue to wealth and power, and
lessen its appeal. That was the vision that underlay the idea behind the
European Economic Community, now the EU, in 195.
“This should motivate us in
Africa, and hasten our efforts towards integration. If Europe, through the
formation of the EU, was able to stop the vicious cycle of violence that had
plagued them for centuries, leading them onto the path of advancement, wealth
and prosperity for the majority of their peoples, Africa can no longer
dither,” the President stressed.
President Akufo-Addo urged
African leaders to "work together to unleash the energy and ingenuity of
the African"' adding, "with a market of 1.2 billion people, soon to
reach two billion, the sky will be the limit".
"Let us work towards the day
when all of us will look to doing business first in our region and continent
before looking to Europe, Asia or the Americas, because we have the men and
women, the goods, the services and the quality”.
The President also asked African
leaders to recognise that the way forward in the integration process was to
implement regional and continental decisions, such as the Continental Free
Trade Area Agreement, which would be in everyone's interest.
“Those of us who believe strongly
in integration can do no better than to give our full support to regional and
continental decisions. Through this, we will build institutional confidence and
integrity in the structural organs of the AU and our regional entities,” he
added.
The two-day Accra meeting brings
together representatives of regional economic communities and regional
mechanisms for conflict prevention, management and resolution, to review the
continental body's existing instruments, partnership and practices and
determine their suitability to manage current and future conflicts.
On the theme, "Strengthening
Conflict Prevention and Peace-making Efforts," the meeting draws
participation from the Global body, the
United Nations, as well as the European Union, La Francophonie, League of Arab
States, and Bilateral partners.
The annual meeting promotes
alternative perspectives on conflict resolution and Peace-making, with
particular attention to second and third track mediation efforts by involving a
large number of subnational actors, from grassroots community-based
organisations to religious and traditional authorities.
President Akufo-Addo entreated
the participants at the retreat to focus on the creation of conditions for the
elimination of pervasive threats to peoples and individual rights, livelihoods,
safety and life, through the protection of human and democratic rights, and the
promotion of human development.
He noted that with over 50
percent of Africa’s population under the age of 20, African countries ought to
create opportunities and jobs for its youth, or they risked becoming
instruments of instability or targets of recruitment by terrorists.
To overcome this, there was need
for African leaders and population to understand the critical importance of
education.
“We must provide them with access
to education; we must transform the structure of our economies from raw
material producing and exporting economies to value-added and industrialised
economies, which will provide opportunities, jobs and hope to our young people
to live dignified, productive lives,” he added.
President Akufo-Addo also noted
the critical importance of promoting and developing on the continent, a system
and culture of accountable governance, free of corruption, where the people
were governed in accordance with the rule of law, respect for individual
liberties and human rights, and the principles of democratic accountability.
“Such a system includes; building
strong institutions of state, such as well-resourced Parliaments and
Judiciaries, efficient law enforcement agencies, and effective security forces,
that see their responsibilities and allegiances to the wider public interest,
not just to the conveniences of the governments of the day,” President
Akufo-Addo emphasised.
Smail Chergui, the AU's
Commissioner for Peace and Security, who noted that the emerging peace and
security challenges even after states had committed to multilateralism on the continent called for the "Strengthening
of efforts towards ensuring our collective interests".
Mohammed Ibn Chambas, Special
Representative of the UN Secretary- General and head of the UN office for West
Africa and Sahel, said Africa ought to strengthen its capacity to address the root
causes of conflict, in all its forms, and stressed the need for partnerships
based on shared values, mutual respect and solidarity among states.
GNA
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