Invest In Government Institutions and Empower Citizens - Akufo-Addo tells African Heads of States

President Akufo-Addo has called for a rapid resolution of the ongoing impasse between the regional blocs on the continent and the breakaway of some member countries like Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

According to President Akufo-Addo, it is in the interest of the dire implication of peace and security on the African continent that all African heads of state find a lasting agreement between some aggrieved heads of state within the sub region.

President Akufo-Addo said, "I believe fervently that the interlinked nature of our security, in all its dimensions, amidst the ever-increasing threat of terrorist and terrorism related activity in the Sahel and rising instability requires all hands on deck."

President Akufo-Addo added that, it is for the reasons of security that he urges the African Union (AU) Department of Political Affairs, Peace, and Security to work closely with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to identify various ways to avoid the withdrawal of the states have intentions of leave the Economic Community.

Speaking on the Second reflections Forum on Unconstitutional Changes of Government, which was organised by the African Union Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security Council, which started on the 18th of March, in Accra, Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo reiterated that, in the face of growing scourge of overthrowing constitutionally elected governments, it has become necessary to have a deliberate and thorough assessment of the situation and called for a collective commitment in averting the challenges befalling the continent, especially the west African sub region.

Speaking on elections on the continent, President Akufo-Addo said, "When elections are not truly free and fair, and legal tactics are employed to undermine the spirit of democracy, when legal loopholes are exploited to subvert constitutional provisions that guarantee inclusion and participation, and when state apparatus is used to muzzle freedom of expression, citizens begin to feel that the democratic processes have taken them hostage and often celebrate anything that looks like an end to their present predicament."

The President, in his closing remarks, encouraged heads of state of the various African countries to invest in their national institutions and empower citizens with the requisite knowledge to demand compliance and accountability from government institutions and agencies.