President Nana Akufo-Addo has reaffirmed his belief in the principles of democratic accountability, which, he says, constitutes the basis of good governance in Ghana.
Speaking at the 2nd Kofi Annan Peace and Security Forum, held at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, on Wednesday, he pledged to continue to respect the tenets of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance.
Specifically, the President stated that “I will not make or cause to be made any substantial modification to the electoral laws in the last six months before the next election; and I will respect the two-term limit for the exercise of presidential authority, as stipulated in the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana.”
Continuing, he stressed that “I will not be an impediment to the conduct of free, fair and transparent elections; and I will hand over power to the next elected President on 7th January 2025.”
President Akufo-Addo assured participants that he will rally his fellow ECOWAS Heads of States to take the pledge, “and support them as they continue to work towards democracy and good governance in their respective countries”.
Beacon of Democracy
Delivering his speech, the President stated that Ghana is often touted as a beacon of democracy in Africa, and has won plaudits for her democratic credentials.
Though still fraught with challenges, he indicated that Ghanaian democracy has been consolidated with the conduct of eight (8) elections, five (5) presidential transitions, three (3) of which resulted in the peaceful transfer from one political party to another.
“We want to be seen as a positive influence in other African countries who continue to face challenges with democratic consolidation,” he added.
He continued, “Out of duty towards our children and grandchildren, we must not give up when it comes to guaranteeing the integrity of the electoral process and consolidating peace through the establishment of accurate electoral registers, the due validation of candidatures, the material organisations of ballots, and the proclamations of authentic results”.
Touching on Ghana’s candidature for a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council for the years 2022-2023, which was successful, with Ghana garnering the highest number of votes on the day, he assured that Ghana will make sure that Africa’s voice is heard loud and clear in the deliberations of the Council, both on matters affecting the continent and on global issues.
“With the continent confronted by multiple threats to the territorial integrity of some of its states and many of its civilian populations being put under serious threat, it will be our position on the Council that now is not the time for the Security Council to reduce its peacekeeping mandates on the continent. On the contrary, it should look to increasing them. We must not, on the global scale, be caught in a “penny wise, pound foolish scenario,” President Akufo-Addo added.
