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Africa: U.S.$30 Billion Spent On Peace Issues
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Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra)
27 March 2008
Posted to the web 27 March 2008
Magdalene Sey
Wusorkrom
Samuel Ato Duncan, Executive President of Center of Awareness (COA), a non-governmental organization (NGO), based in Cape Coast, has revealed that the United Nations (UN) has spent $30 billion, in the past 15 years, on peace-related issues in Africa.
He explained that Africa is the poorest continent, because the continent lacked peace, indicating that the money, which could have been used to alleviate poverty, was rather being used to address peace issues.
Duncan made this revelation last week, at the inauguration of the Central Regional Network for Peace Building, at Wusorkrom in the Abura-Asebu- Kwamankese (AAK) district, of the Central Region.
He said political and social injustices, religious intolerance, poverty, terrorism, diseases, selfishness, among others, affected global peace, and must be tackled locally, nationally and internationally.
Duncan noted that until leaders, especially those in Africa, live and rule selflessly and implemented human-centered policies, world peace could not be achieved.
He added that countries that give license for companies to manufacture ammunitions should be stopped, as they contribute to some of the destruction around the world.
Duncan called for a timely intervention on issues such as HIV/AIDS, stressing that such cases undermined the human resource development, and retarded socio-economic development.
He disclosed that the COA has spent over GH¢200,000, to develop herbal preparations to treat and manage HIV/AIDS.
He further disclosed that the COA had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Nogouchi Memorial Institute, Legon, the Biochemistry Department of the University of Cape Coast, and the Central Regional Hospital, to undertake further research into production of scientific data, on the use of the herbal drugs for the cure of HIV/AIDS.
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The Minister of Trade, Industry, Private Sector Development and President's special Initiative (PSI), Joe Baidoo-Ansah, whose speech was read by the Regional Director of the ministry, Ephraim Kwame Donkor, said peace-building, maintenance of law and order should be the responsibility of major stakeholders, such as government, civil society and traditional authorities, who can help promote it.
The COA was formerly an association, which was established in 1989, but it was registered as an NGO in 2000, to ensure reconciliation, peace and unity among people, through awareness creation.
Currently, it has a membership of 1,564 in the Central Region, and it is expected to expand its operations across the country by 2015.
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