WANEP

THE Executive Director of the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), Mr Emmanuel Bombande, has noted that the Ghana Navy is not adequately resourced to protect the country’s territorial waters.
He has, therefore, called on the government to immediately resource the Ghana Navy to perform that function to safeguard the oil discovered from being siphoned by infiltrators.
Mr Bombande explained that it was imperative to do that now to send a signal to the world that Ghana’s territorial waters were well secured from any criminal activities.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic after the opening ceremony of the 10th annual general meeting and anniversary of WANEP in Accra last Wednesday, Mr Bombande said the government should not wait for the oil to be drilled in commercial quantities in 2010 to be stolen before it starts resourcing the Navy to protect it.
The Navy was provided with speedboats acquired from the United States of America at the last quarter of 2008 by the government as part of measures to resource it to effectively patrol the country’s high seas.
Mr Bombande called on the leadership of the country not to compromise their integrity and accountability, since these were the bedrock of good governance.
He said as part of its objectives, WANEP was re-defining areas that would help enhance peace and promote human security.
He urged the government to consider human right issues in its development agenda and support indigenous institutions like WANEP to carry out their programmes.
Madam Laurencia Adams of Ghana Research and Advocacy Programme called for Africa’s democracy to be deepened.
She said it was time for Africa to progress from holding free and fair elections to vital development reforms such as access to land for agricultural and other economic purposes.
A director at the Africa Union Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr William A. Awinador-Kanyirige, said ECOWAS had launched an Independent Electoral Commission to evolve common standards and norms to guide electoral commissions of member states.
He said the move formed part of efforts by ECOWAS to promote good governance and democracy in the sub-region.
Mr Awinador said regular meetings would be organised for electoral commissioners to help build their capacity in the conduct of elections.
Mr Awinador said countries within the WANEP should co-operate and examine their future perspectives as members of ECOWAS.
He called on civil society organisations (CSOs) to collaborate in the implementation of ECOWAS policies and programmes in the sub-region.
He said this would be achieved if there existed mutual respect and trust between the CSOs and the public sector.