Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo says the fight against terrorism has to be a global fight, and that the resources dedicated to counterterrorism must match the resources available to terrorist groups.
Akufo-Addo was a guest Thursday at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington D.C., and spoke about the importance of peace building in West Africa.
Ghana’s partnership with the West is crucial in the face of a recent wave of military coups in the Sahel.
Citing Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, three countries with recent history of military taking over power, Akufo-Addo says preventing coups and building democracy go hand-in-hand with development.
“That is the reality that we’re having to deal, and it’s also been a period where development - with a capital D - that the people are looking for, has been difficult to come by,” he said.
The Ghanaian president says that although the Economic Community of West African States has not been able to convince Niger’s junta to return its democratically elected president to power, the 15-member body does important work for the people of West Africa.
“ECOWAS is not just an organization on paper, it has been a very functional, working, dynamic organization, assisting with the problems that members have,” said Akufo-Addo.
Many African leaders including Akufo Addo say it’s time Africa is given a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, if not two, saying African countries deserve to weigh in on big issues such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He also says veto powers should be abolished in favor of majority rule.
“The big problem there is Russia’s invasion of Ukraine cannot be dealt with by the Security Council because Russia is a veto-wielding member of the Security Council and it refuses to allow this matter to be debated and deliberated at the Security Council,” he said.
The Council has 15 members, five of which are permanent: the United States, the United Kingdom, China, France and Russia. Those five have veto power on council votes.
U.S. President Joe Biden has expressed support for Africa to have a permanent seat on the Council.