Ghana has pledge $50 million over a five-year period to the Economic of West African States (ECOWAS) to help deal with terrorism on the African Region.
$10 million of the total pledge is destined for the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Regional Security Fund (ERSF), a Fund set up in support of the 2020-2024 Anti-Terrorism Action Plan. The remaining $40 million would be for the domestic empowerment of border security against potential terrorist incursions.
The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, disclosed this at the 58th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Governments held virtually last Saturday.
According to the President, out of the total pledge by Ghana, $5 million has been paid into the ESRF account, of which confirmation of transfer instructions for this payment had been received.
According to President Akufo-Addo, regardless of the gains made as a Commission, the continent continues to face critical security challenges, with deadly terrorist attacks – he cited Mali, northeastern Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Niger, while reaffirming the Commission’s strongest condemnation of these attacks in our region and community.
He opined: “These developments must reinforce our conviction that we must pursue, even more vigorously, the actions we have begun, with the rapid implementation of the decisions of our Extraordinary Summit on Terrorism, held on 14th September 2019. This concerted effort, which must be a major priority objective of the Community, is the best way for us to address collectively the security challenge, and give ourselves the means to ensure the security of the populations of our Community. Our dignity and our sovereignty are at stake.”
He continued to “thank all Member States that are making significant efforts to support our initiatives, in this regard, especially those that have begun to pay their financial contribution to the US$1 billion ECOWAS Regional Security Fund (ERSF), created in support of the 2020-2024 Anti-Terrorism Action Plan. Raising this money has to be a high priority for us, because it enables us to act independently in this crisis.”
Giving some background, President Akufo-Addo reminded his colleagues that the 2019 Summit created the Fund to cover a five-year period, 2020-2024.
He added that the UEMOA countries committed to contribute US$500 million, whilst the Federal Republic of Nigeria also pledged US$350 million, leaving a balance of US$150 million for the six remaining countries and other sources.
Opening his address as the Chair, President Akufo-Addo offered the heartfelt condolences of the ECOWAS Community to the governments and peoples of the Republics of Ghana, Mali and Niger, who have lost former presidents and former prime ministers.
He led the Summit to observe a minute’s silence in honour of the memory of the late presidents, Jerry John Rawlings of Ghana, Moussa Traoré and Amadou Toumani Touré of Mali, and Mamadou Tandja of Niger, and of the former prime ministers, Soumaila Cissé and Modibo Keita of Mali.
The post Ghana pledges $50m to ECOWAS to tackle terrorism appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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