Resolving development challenges in West Africa: Coups can't be justified - Akufo-Addo

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has told the international community that no reason whatsoever is good enough to justify the overthrow of any democratically elected government in West Africa.

He argued that lessons from various coups d’état in the sub-region over the years “have taught us that these military interventions are never a panacea for addressing whatever challenges a nation may be confronted with”.

President Akufo-Addo said this at the presentation of his New Year greetings to the Diplomatic Corps at the Peduase Lodge in Aburi in the Eastern Region last Wednesday night.

Ceremonies

High Commissioners and Ambassadors from 67 countries and international organisations were present.

Each of them and his or her spouse took turns to exchange pleasantries with the President and his entourage, which included the First Lady,

Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo; Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia; the Chief of Staff at the Presidency, Mrs Akosua Frema Osei-Opare; Mr Justice Yoni Kulendi, who represented the Chief Justice, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey.

The envoys exchanged greetings, interacted with one another and affirmed their shared commitment and dedication to strengthen the existing bonds of friendship, cooperation, goodwill and solidarity between their countries/organisations and Ghana.

Reasons

Touching on the reasons usually assigned for staging coups, President Akufo-Addo said they included the economy and security, but added:

“No reason is good enough to dispense with the freely expressed will of the people.”

He reiterated his position that West Africa would remain unsafe until drastic measures were instituted to consolidate and entrench democratic tenets, which were necessary for economic development and the protection of freedoms.

He urged countries around the world and international organisations to lend their support to the sanctions imposed on the countries that had staged coups to ensure that they returned to democratic rule on the agreed timetable.

Vaccines

Taking a look at vaccines production, President Akufo-Addo emphasised that to be self-sufficient in vaccine production and also avoid being trapped in vaccine nationalism, Ghana, Rwanda and Senegal were working towards the establishment of a Pan-African project with Biotech of Germany to manufacture vaccines in Africa.

He said he and the Presidents of the two countries would inspect the production model for the development in Marburg, Germany next week on the eve of the AU- EU Summit in Belgium towards boosting the domestic production of COVID-19 vaccines, as well as ensuring knowledge transfer.

The President announced that the government had secured 26 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, with more on the way.

Eleven million doses of the vaccines had been administered and there were moves to ramp up the vaccination campaign to ensure that more Ghanaians got jabs, he said.

Traditional leaders at the event. Picture: SAMUEL TEI ADANO

He said the government was determined to reach its target of vaccinating at least 20 million Ghanaians.

Economy

Regarding the economy, President Akufo-Addo noted that to address the devastating impact of the COVID-19 on individuals, corporate entities, as well as the national coffers, the government had put in place bold policy measures that included prompt extensive public health measures.

In addition, he said, the government had established a GH¢1.1 billion package to procure medical supplies and equipment and provide relief and incentive packages for health workers.

Besides, the government made available a GH¢1.6 billion support package for vulnerable households across the country through the provision of free electricity and water

Others, he explained, included the provision of GH¢1.2 billion under the COVID-19 alleviation business and support programme to support some 180,000 micro, small and medium-scale enterprises across various sectors of the economy.

The President added that the unforeseen and unbudgeted expenditure exerted enormous pressure on the economy, including reduced levels of anticipated revenue resulting inevitably from the slowdown of the global economy.

Aside from those, he said, the unbudgeted expenditure led to a fiscal impact of GH¢25 billion and the subversion of the projected 4.7 per cent fiscal deficit government had envisaged.

In all the difficulties, he said, the government found the money to recruit 24,285 more health professionals and spent some GH¢1.9 billion to ensure that children and teaching staff at all levels returned to school safely and save the year, as students were able to sit for their Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

Diplomatic corps impressed

The Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Mrs Claudia Turbay Quintero, said President Akufo-Addo had fully demonstrated his commitment to democracy by ensuring that peace and dialogue prevailed among the different groups in the country.

President Akufo-Addo (3rd from right) exchanging pleasantries with some of the diplomats and their spouses at the event. Picture: SAMUEL TEI ADANO

Mrs Quintero, who is the Columbian Ambassador to Ghana, said the diplomatic community had observed how freedom of opinion and freedom of the press in the sphere of ideological difference and respect for the rule of law continued to prevail in Ghana.

“In this regard, we also wish to congratulate you on the classification in 2021 of Ghana as the second most peaceful nation in Africa, after Mauritius, as published by the Global Peace Index.

“We observe how your administration is working assiduously in the reactivation of the economy, moving it towards a high goal of being sustainable and self-sufficient,” she said.

She added that the industrialisation drive, energy, oil and gas and other sectors of the economy were witnessing advancement, all in relation to the President’s vision of a self-sustainable Ghana.

“Your commitment to the education of the youth, with the free senior high school policy, has resulted in very successful enrolment in SHSs, as well as the establishment of STEM centres, with the initiative to empower the youth for global opportunities and the creation of innovation hubs,” Mrs Quintero observed.