Daily Trust (Abuja)

Africa: 'Transparent Election, Panacea to Africa's Political Instability'

By Abdulfattah Olajide and Aisha Umar, 25 October 2009

Transparent and peaceful elections are the panacea to the political instability in the West African sub-region, UN Secretary General Ban ki Moon said in Abuja yesterday.

The UN Secretary General Ban ki Moon who spoke at the 36th Ordinary session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS also said West Africa's development can only be accelerated by political stability and regional integration.

Ban, who was represented by Mr Said Djinit, lamented the political instability in some West African countries,particularly Guinea and Guinea Bissau and called for concerted efforts to restore normalcy.

He also stressed the need to check drug trafficking and organised crime in the sub-region. "The trend of drug trafficking and organised crime must be checked because of the destabilising impact on the sub-region," he said.

Ban said the UN and the international community would continue to work with ECOWAS in the realisation of "a stable, prosperous and developed region".

Earlier, Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas, President of the ECOWAS Commission, had charged member-states on the economic growth of the sub-region through increased agricultural production and investments.

He called for the strengthening of the regional integration process as a way of reversing the negative effect of the global economic meltdown.

Chambas said ECOWAS's commitment to having "a strong development dimension to the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiation with the EU".

He, however, emphasised the need for peace and political stability in the sub-region "if it is to attain economic growth and development.

"The essential and vital factor to encourage investments in West Africa is political stability. No investor will come to a country or an area engulfed in political crises or conflicts," he said.

Tagged: Africa, Nigeria, West Africa

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  • upliftdarace_144
    Oct 26 2009, 08:31
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