President Akufo-Addo to grace 2021 Kofi Annan Peace and Security forum

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will be the Guest of Honour for the second edition of this year’s Kofi Annan Peace and Security forum from Wednesday, December 8 to 9, 2021 in Accra.

The forum, organized by the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) and the Kofi Annan Foundation based in Geneva, Switzerland, is on the theme: Democracy and Governance in the Context of Complex Crisis in West Africa” and supported by the governments of Germany and Norway and Sweden.

The theme coincided with the 20th anniversary of the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance adopted by ECOWAS Heads of State in December 2001.

Major General Francis Ofori, the Commandant, KAIPTC speaking at the launch of the forum on Thursday in Accra, said the virtual and physical event would bring together over 100 delegates, including former African Presidents, development partners and United Nations representatives.

The Commandant of KAIPC said the forum would honour the memory of the late Kofi Annan and recognise the role of political leadership and international commitment towards democratic governance, peace and security in Africa.

The Forum, he stated, would deepen collaboration between stakeholders in finding political solutions to security situations in Africa and implement the KAIPTC new strategic vision of becoming the preferred centre of excellence in the delivery of capacity and expertise in peace and security.

Maj. Gen. Ofori said the forum was initiated in 2019 as an annual programme but the second edition was organised this year due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020.

Mr Hannes Lambrecht, the Programme Manager of GIZ Support KAIPTC, said the forum had become a critical regional platform which enabled African stakeholders to explore long-term solutions to emerging security threats on the African continent.

He stated that democratic practices in West Africa had accelerated in the last two decades which had resulted in a peaceful transition of power, political stability and economic growth, in spite of the two coups in Mali and one in Guinea in the last two years.

These new realities, Mr Lambrecht said, required concerted efforts to safeguard the democratic gains in the West African region and the need to strengthen the processes made in areas like elections, constitutional processes and the governance practices.

“We need to continually reflect on the dividend of democratic practices to the ordinary citizens. We hope the forum will provide the platform to reflect on critical questions and explore solutions for further uptake in national and regional policies.”