President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called on the United Nations (UN) and other international organizations to support Africa in combating the rising threats of terrorism and coup d’états taking over the continent.
He made the appeal when he addressed the 78th UN General Assembly on Wednesday September 20, at the UN Headquarters in New York, United States of America.
According to President Akufo-Addo, “instability in the Sahel and widespread terrorist activities have put West African countries under severe political pressure and economic strain.”
“Several countries in the region have lost vast stretches of territory to the rampaging terrorists. Coup d’états have reemerged as what some mistakenly hope would be the solution to the threats that confront their nations,” he noted.
Nana Akufo-Addo who expressed dissatisfaction about the seeming reluctance of the foreign countries to help combat these threats recounted some contributions of Africans to the current stability and development in Europe. He said it is dissatisfying to note that the efforts of the international organizations seek to undermine the efforts of Africa in dealing with the threats, rather supporting them.
“We are convinced that the conflicts that continue to plague our continent and our Region, in particular, would be more satisfactorily resolved if the international community was to support, not undermine, the efforts of our regional and continental organisations to deal with them,” he said.
He added that, “Africans fought and died in the Second World War in defence of Europe and her Allies, who reset the world towards the path of peace and prosperity that their nations and citizens have enjoyed for decades now. It is surely time for the world to reciprocate in our time of need.”
President Akufo-Addo however, assured the UN of Ghana’s commitment to safeguarding democracy “as the best route to building the prosperous nation.”
“It is true that the economic dividends that many 5 of our citizens justifiably expected from the democratic process have not come as fast as had been anticipated, but we are determined to hold fast to the course because we believe that, ultimately, it will succeed,” he remarked.