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African countries asked to deepen democratic culture
Accra, May 25, GNA - Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni, Minister of Foreign
Affairs and Regional Integration, on Monday called on African
countries to work towards deepening the democratic culture and
promote good governance at all levels.
He said good governance was an imperative to be embraced by
politicians, the executive, the legislature, the judiciary,
public
servants, and the private sector and also cuts across all
national
endeavours.
Alhaji Mumuni, who was speaking at the 46th African Union (AU)
Flag-Raising ceremony in Accra, said it was only through
collective
efforts the continent could expect to complete its journey to
success.
The day was to highlight Africa's achievements and offer an
opportunity to take stock of the urgent challenges facing the
continent.
This year's celebration was under the theme; "Towards a United,
Peaceful and Prosperous Africa" and was attended by the African
diplomatic corps, ministers of state, members of parliament,
security
personnel, chiefs and selected school children.
The Minister noted that the adoption of the African Peer Review
Mechanism (APRM) constituted an exciting innovation to assist
the
continent build a common platform of values and norms to
underpin the drive for good governance
as an essential component for progress and
development.
He said although the then Organisation of African Unity was
faced
with challenges such as institutional, nation-building, domestic
crisis and civil wars it succeeded in terminating colonialism in
Africa and provided a collective platform and common voice for
the
people.
"Additionally, the Abuja Treaty of 1991 establishing the African
Economic Community represented the first major step in recent
times to inject new life into the
quest for continental integration and
progress."
He therefore urged Ghanaians to reflect on what role they could
play individually and collectively to help make unity and
progress a
reality.
"We owe it to our founding fathers, to ourselves, and to
posterity, not to fail in this noble enterprise," he said.
Dr Jean Ping, Chairperson of the African Union Commission in a
speech read for him by Tete Jean Pierre Gbikpi Benissan, Dean of
African Diplomatic Corp, said the day was to reaffirm the
continent's
collective determination to strengthen its commitment "towards a
united, peaceful and prosperous Africa".
He said the theme for this year would enable Africans to take
stock of the progress achieved against the goals set forth in
this
common vision.
He noted that more than 40 years on, the balance sheet was
encouraging and augurs well for the future, as evidenced by the
irreversible process of continental integration that had
galvanized
the whole Africa since the vision of Sirte, transformed OAU into
AU.
"The Continent can and should therefore look to its future with
confidence and, above all, forge ahead to give concrete
expression to
the dream that has charted its collective course towards the
advent of an Africa that is united and
strong, and able to influence the course
of international events, an Africa that is free from want and
free
from fear," he said.
Dr Ping said to build a united, integrated, developed and
peaceful Africa, the Au needed to take up the challenge - and
not the
least of them all - of striking a fair balance between the
exigencies
of political stability and rapid socio-economic development to
which
all the people of the continent legitimately aspired.
He said it was a common duty of Africans to pursue together and
succeed in the drive to collectively build the continent and
thereby
achieve in a near future the development, prosperity and
stability
that we all hope for Africa.
"Let us make this dream that our fathers have for long nurtured
become a reality and let us march resolutely towards a united,
peaceful and prosperous Africa," he added.
Mr Ban Kim Moon, United Nations Secretary General, in a message
called for effective, coordinated action by the world leaders,
as well
as full support for the Millennium Development Goals and the New
Partnership for Africa's Development.
He said at the very time when Africa had achieved several years
of sustained economic growth and improved stability, the global
economic crisis was having a severe impact.
"We must protect the continent's poorest and most vulnerable
people. The international community must not step back from its
commitments," he added.
Alhaji Mumuni and Jean Pierre later cut the sod to open a
week-long photo exhibition at the Accra International Conference
Centre.
Ghanadot
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