The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has called for collaboration in dealing with issues of migration for the common good of humanity.
He noted that the challenges of migration could not be wished away by any individual or country, rather it would require the global community to liaise in tackling it.
“The fullest potential and benefits of human migration will remain elusive in the absence of effective international cooperation and greater solidarity,” he emphasised.
President Akufo-Addo made the call at the opening session of the Kofi Annan Peace and Security Forum (KAPSF) held in Accra Wednesday.
The KAPSF, a high-level multi-stakeholder programme, is being organised by the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) with support from the German and Norwegian governments.
The two-day event aimed at building regional capacity to handle migration and conflicts in Africa and was attended by representatives of a cross section of the global community, including the United Nations (UN), European Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Among some of the topics being discussed at the forum are climate change and migration in West Africa, building community resilience against climate change and conflicts, and addressing irregular migration and transnational organised crime.
The President further explained that the combined effect of demographic trends in different parts of the world showed that migration would become increasingly necessary over the next decades for countries at all income levels.
He also noted that in an emerging multipolar world, exemplified by the great influence of the BRICS countries, critical questions had emerged regarding human relationships in the context of migration, and the structures and institutions which organised them.
“First, what form of global cooperation might enhance the mutual benefits of migration for both countries of origin and destination?
Secondly, under what conditions might population movement transform into threats to security, and what preventive mechanisms exist?
Thirdly, how might scholarly and policy discourses on migration depoliticise and decolonise? Fourthly, how does migration influence societal resilience?” he queried.
President Nana Akufo-Addo expressed the hope that the forum would help address some of the pertinent challenges associated with migration in order to foster peace and security in Africa.
He lauded the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre for convening the forum, as well as the German and Norwegian Governments for their worthy partnership.
Mr Irchad Razaaly, the EU Ambassador to Ghana, lauded President Nana Akufo-Addo for his unwavering efforts at promoting peace in the sub-Saharan Africa.
Mr Leonardo Santos Simao, the UN’s Special Representative for West Africa and the Sahel, welcomed the idea behind the organisation of the forum, saying the UN was worried about the increasing conflicts in the region.
BY CLIFF EKUFUL
