Africa: “Coups Are Not Sturdy Options to Africa’s Issues” -Addo

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has urged the worldwide neighborhood to ship a transparent message to coup plotters that coups have by no means been, and can by no means be sturdy options to Africa’s political, financial and safety challenges.

In keeping with President Akufo-Addo, “Statements condemning coups alone with out corresponding motion will, nonetheless, obtain little or nothing, as witnessed in latest instances. This drawback requires collective settlement, efficient deterrence, daring motion and, equally necessary, enough preventive measures.”

Delivering the keynote deal with at a side-event organised by the United Nations Growth Programme (UNDP), on the sidelines of the Munich Safety Convention, in Munich, Germany, on Friday, seventeenth February 2024, the President acknowledged that “there are those that nonetheless hanker after authoritarian, private rule, as a result of they declare Africa is underdeveloped and democracy is cumbersome, and we have to get issues carried out in a rush.”

Quoting from the 2019 Annual Threat of Coup Report, he indicated that Africa has skilled extra coup d’états than every other continent, which, he stated, is “an unsavoury statistic”.

Citing the case of Ghana, President Akufo-Addo famous that political instability described a lot of the early a long time of the nation’s life as an impartial nation, and Ghana turned infamous for sampling each and any sort of political experiment.

“The one-party-state of the First Republic was overthrown in our first navy coup, and the Second and Third Republics, which had been training democratic governance, had been additionally overthrown by coup d’états. My father, President of the 2nd Republic, was overthrown some fifty-one (51) years in the past, on thirteenth January 1972. Kutu Acheampong’s coup introduced his keep in workplace to an finish,” he stated.

The President continued, “the instability instigated the collapse of the economic system, and led to the exodus from the nation of many voters and professionals. We now have most likely not nonetheless recovered from the tendency to need to depart the nation as the reply to troublesome conditions.”

He famous, nonetheless, that for the previous thirty (30) years of our 4th Republic, Ghana has loved political stability below a multi-party structure, and the longest interval of steady, constitutional governance in our hitherto tumultuous historical past.

The President instructed the gathering that the separation of powers is now an actual phenomenon in Ghanaian life, selling accountable governance. Environment friendly public companies at the moment are inside attain.

“We now have, on this interval, skilled, by way of the poll field, the switch of energy from one ruling political celebration to a different on three (3) events in circumstances of peace and stability, with out threatening the foundations of the state. The Ghanaian individuals have manifested on this period their deep attachment to the rules of democratic accountability, respect for particular person liberties, human rights and the rule of legislation. It has additionally introduced with it kind of systematic financial progress, and boosted immensely our self-confidence,” he added.

Condemn all Coups

The reappearance of coups in Africa, the President acknowledged, in all its types and manifestations should be condemned by all, because it critically undermines “our collective bid to rid the continent of the menace of instability and unconstitutional adjustments in authorities, as at present outlined by the frameworks enshrined within the Lomé Declaration, the African Constitution on Democracy, Elections and Governance, and different necessary regional and continental devices”.

In as a lot as drivers of unconstitutional adjustments are largely home, President Akufo-Addo famous that the worldwide dimension can’t be ignored.

“Overseas involvement in fomenting unconstitutional adjustments, usually in favour of repressive governments, overseas financial pursuits and different would-be geo-political advantages, are contributory elements. Some overseas entities regard coups in African international locations as a way of enhancing their regional ambitions,” he stated.

He continued, “As such, they have interaction in all kinds of disinformation campaigns in a bid to disparage the authority of democratically elected governments and instigate opposition protests towards incumbents.”

In implementing current continental and regional devices and protocols, the President famous that defaulting Member States are condemned and suspended from the actions of continental and regional our bodies, and particular person coup-makers are sanctioned.

“Nonetheless, the truth is, these sanctions haven’t been utilized uniformly. While we’re fast to sanction navy coup leaders, civilians, who obtain related ends by way of the manipulation of constitutions to stay in energy, for instance, go with out sanctions, though their actions are clearly prohibited in our authorized devices. Which means that the prevailing frameworks must be strengthened to seize such infractions,” he added.