African Countries Must Maintain Common Values Of Governance – Akufo-Addo

President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana has called on African countries to unite and ensure the implementation of regional and continental decisions including the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme and the Continental Free Trade Area.

Akufo-Addo said this while speaking as a guest lecturer for this year’s graduation ceremony at the National Defence College in Abuja today.

According to him, by implementing such decisions and maintaining common values of governance Africa will achieve the economic and security benefits experienced by others such as the European Union.

He said, “The way forward is to implement regional and continental decisions such as the ECOWAS trade liberalization scheme and the Continental Free Trade Area, recognizing that ultimately the benefits are in everyone’s interest.

“Additionally, all governments in the region and continent need to collaborate to ensure that the countries of Africa adhere to and maintain common values of governance i.e. the principles of democratic accountability, respect for individual liberties and human rights and the rule of law.”

The Ghanaian leader blamed Africa’s economic woes on poor leadership and urged Nigeria to play a leading role in reversing this challenge.

“Our problem over the years, I suggest, has been leadership. The implementation of these plans has been left to well-meaning technocrats and bureaucrats. However well-meaning they may be, our region and continent cannot make the bold transformative changes they need to make without visionary political leadership,” Akufo-Addo said.

“We need leadership that is focused on the region and on the continent and not on individual countries.”

On the increase in insecurity on the continent, President Akufo-Addo said the use of force was not enough, stressing that collaborative effort must be made to eliminate the root causes of insecurity in member countries on the continent.
Before giving his speech, the Ghanaian President inspected the guard of honour mounted for him at the graduation lecture for course 25 of the college.