Leaders in the ECOWAS sub-region have been urged to respect term limits for all presidents to ensure that democracy thrives, Ghana’s Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, has underscored.
According to him, events within the sub-region over the last four years have showed that governance issues needed immediate attention.
Mr Ntiwul was speaking at the closing ceremony of the 3rd Kofi Annan Peace and Security (KAPS) Forum organised by the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Accra.
He also called on West Africans to let their voices be heard “on the demand for good governance.”
The two-day forum, on the theme: “Migration and Societal Resilience in a Multipolar World Order: Addressing Conflicts and Building Peace in Africa,” brought together over 200 delegates, including former African Heads of State and Government, high-level diplomats, and other participants from governmental and intergovernmental organisations.
Delegates included representatives of security sector institutions and policy and research think tanks, development partners, training institutions, business leaders and other groups such as journalists, youth activists, and women’s groups.
President Akufo-Addo was the Guest of Honour with other special guests including Mr Boni Yayi, former President, Republic of Benin; Mr Hailemariam Dessalegn Boshe, former Prime Minister, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia; Mrs. Fatoumata C.M. Jallow Tambajang, former Vice President, Republic of The Gambia; Chief Dr. Jewel Howard-Taylor, former Vice President, Republic of Liberia.
The rest were H.E. Leonardo Santos Simão, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel and Chairman of the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission (CNMC); Ms. Hanna Serwaah Tetteh, Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for the Horn of Africa; Mr Charles Abani, UN Resident Coordinator, Ghana and Madam Mme. Fatou Diallo Ndiaye, Chief of Mission, Ghana, Togo, and Benin, International Organization for Migration (IOM) among other Ambassadors and High Commissioners of KAIPTC’s partner countries.