TIG Post

Tag: Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre

  • Corruption breeds coups – Research Analyst

    Corruption breeds coups – Research Analyst

    In connection with the recent coup that occurred in Niger, Professor Kwesi Aning, the Director of Faculty of Academic Affairs & Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, has emphasized that rampant corruption creates fertile grounds for coups to take place.

    According to Prof. Aning, coups do not happen suddenly; they develop over time before the military resorts to seizing power.

    Speaking with the media on Monday, July 31, Prof. Aning pointed out that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has protocols and treaties in place to promote democracy, good governance, and conflict prevention among member states.

    However, he highlighted that coup-making starts long before military intervention. Corruption, when left unchecked, undermines the delivery of public services, which can lead to instability and discontent among the population.

    Prof. Aning also mentioned that coup-making involves manipulating public perception through storytelling and misinformation to gain support for power-grabbing agendas.

    Additionally, it includes pushing for constitutional changes that allow governments to extend their tenure beyond the stipulated period, violating democratic principles.

    The situation in West Africa, including Niger, has become more complex and widespread, with various nuanced developments contributing to the likelihood of coups.

    In response to the coup in Niger, ECOWAS has given the coup leaders one week to return the country to normal or face potential military intervention. The soldiers involved in the coup claimed to have dissolved the constitution, suspended all institutions, and closed the nation’s borders. The President of Niger, Mohamed Bazoum, has been held by the troops from the presidential guard since the coup announcement.

    International leaders, such as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, have expressed their support for President Bazoum and the UN’s willingness to provide full support. President Bazoum is seen as a crucial ally in the fight against Islamist militancy in West Africa.

    It is worth noting that neighboring countries, Mali and Burkina Faso, have also experienced coups triggered by jihadist uprisings in recent years, leading to strained relations with their former colonial power, France, which also once ruled Niger.

  • The surge of refugees in Ghana is worrying – Akufo Addo

    The surge of refugees in Ghana is worrying – Akufo Addo

    President Akufo Addo has bemoaned the surge of refugees in Ghana.

    Interacting with the visiting Arch-Bishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, President Akufo-Addo described the situation as worrying.

    “One of the biggest problems we have in Ghana today will be of course the issue of refugees as a result of the dislocations that have taken place within the Sahel.

    “We have until recently with quite evident people coming from Chad, littering our streets. Young people, children and women are in very disastrous circumstances.

    “We now have an influx number of people from Burkina Faso as a result of the turbulence and insurgency going on there so we are very familiar with the issue of refugees,” he said.

    More than 4,000 Burkinabes this month alone, have fled to seek refuge in Ghana following attacks by suspected terrorists and militants in the Sub-region.

    The refugees, mostly women and children, have fled from trouble spots in Burkina Faso.

    President Akufo-Addo called for an immediate solution to the crisis.

    But the Director of the Faculty of Academic Affairs and Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, Professor Kwesi Aning says the country borders are porous.

    This, according to him allows the free movement of people and goods.

    He added apart from Pusiga and Kulungugu with borders, they do not have the technical equipment to scan items coming through.

    “There are no borders apart from Pusiga and Kulungugu, where you can see thousands of people coming in every day, if you take Kulungugu with borders, they do not have the technical equipment to scan any of these containers through,” he stated.

  • IUU fishing threatens marine ecosystems – Major-General Gyane

    Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing remains one of the greatest threats to marine ecosystems due to its potent ability to undermine national and regional efforts to conserve and manage fish stocks.

    It also jeopardises the manage­ment of fish stocks by disrupting regulatory processes as well as impacts negatively the livelihoods of coastal communities, including women and the youth.

    This assertion was made by the commandant of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeep­ing Training Centre (KAIPTC), Major-General Richard Addo Gyane, at the opening of a two-day Maritime Security Conference in Accra yesterday.

    Themed ‘Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea: Rethinking the Past and Contemplating the Future,’ the meeting was organ­ised by the KAIPTC in collab­oration with the Stellenbosch University, South Africa, and the Royal Danish Defence College (RDDC).

    According to Major-General Gyane, West Africa alone loses over $ 2 billion to illegal fishing annually.

    This illegal activity, he said, contributed to unemployment and desperation in the region, adding that already there were fears that fishermen and other people in the value chain of fish processing, such as women and youth, may be pushed to a life of crime, particu­larly in the context of the current global economic challenges.

    He mentioned that the per­vasiveness of maritime security threats across the region illus­trated the need for a holistic approach to maritime security response in the region.

    “Sustainable development of the blue economy, improvement of the well-being of coastal com­munities and commitment and collaboration across agencies and governments are key in reducing maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea,” he stressed.

    He noted that the confer­ence will afford participants the opportunity to take stock of past efforts, experiences and lessons learnt within the maritime space in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) with the hope of applying them in future endeavour.

    Making reference to the Inter­national Maritime Bureau’s half year report for 2022, he said 58 piracy incidents were recorded worldwide, adding that out of the figure only 12 were attributed to the GoG.

    This, he said, had positive spin-offs for seafarers, the shipping industry and trade, leading to eco­nomic growth and development.

    The commandant, there­fore, underscored the need for continued efforts at ensuring the complete elimination of piracy in the GoG.

    In his submission, Professor Thomas Mandrup, an Associate Professor at the University of Stellenbosch, said given the rising significance of oceans, it was imperative that coastal and island state governments in the GoG continued to design and align policies, strategies and ocean pro­grammes to improve the security of their marine interests.

    The ocean, he said, offered significant source of income which could soften the negative economic outlook facing several West African states.

    According to Professor Man­drup, without strong political will and improvement of governance in the GoG states, it would be very difficult to realise the ocean’s potential.

  • National peace requires collective responsibility – Public Affairs Officer  

    Mrs Bertha Demennu, the Political and Public Affairs Officer at the Canadian High Commission in Accra, says national peace and stability are the collective responsibility of every Ghanaian.

    Peace, she explained, was a human development factor, which ought to be prioritised, and advised Ghanaians to cherish and jealousy to preserve the prevailing national peace and social cohesion for development to thrive.

    She said, “in any society where everybody is a watchdog, conscious of preserving peace and preventing intruders of peace, it develops faster”.

    Mrs Demennu said this during a two-day meeting on violent extremism, attended by the youth in the Techiman Municipality of the Bono East Region.

    The meeting was in line with a project dubbed “Dialogue on Preventing Violent Extremism, Terrorism and Vigilantism for Women and Youth”, being funded by the Canadian Fund for Local Initiative (CFLI) and implemented by the National Peace Council (NPC).

    “We should not see the preservation of peace and security as a reserve and the business of few stakeholders, instead collective and shared responsibility”, Mrs Demennu said.

    She urged Ghanaians to be watchful and help prevent terrorist attacks and violent extremism in the country, saying terrorist attacks on neighbouring countries threatened the peace of the nation.

    Mr Frank Wilson Bodza, the Deputy Director in-charge of Conflict Management and Resolution at the NPC, said the project aimed to curb violent extremism in the country.

    He said poor governance, vigilantism and illegal mining, poor environmental practices and poverty were all threats to national security.

    Mr Ernest Ansah Lartey, the Head of Peace and Security Studies at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), said peace remained a major tool for national development and assured Ghanaians of the Centre’s commitment to collaborate with stakeholders to promote national peace and stability.

    “The Centre is also collaborating with other partners, including the NPC, civil society actors, and other development partners to help sustain national peace,” he added.

    Source:GNA