PRESS RELEASE - 7th KAIPTC/ZIF Lessons Learnt Seminar Opens

(Accra, Ghana – February 08, 2012) A 3-day Lessons Learnt Seminar aimed at discussing challenges to democratic governance in West Africa has opened at KAIPTC.

The workshop seeks to discuss extensively the recent political activities and democratic processes in the sub-region as well cross cutting issues and emerging threats affecting West Africa. The seminar will also allow participants to share country specific lessons on post-conflict recovery processes; discuss issues on emerging threats affecting the region and make policy recommendation on how peace and democracy can be strengthened.

Delivering a speech at the official opening ceremony, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Hon. Alhaji Mumuni, mentioned that the sub-region is currently enjoying relative peace and stability after the power struggle in Cote d’Ivoire and civil unrest in Nigeria. He added that while there are looming grounds for conflict in West Africa, it has become apparent in recent times that there are new potential drivers to conflict in the sub-region. Alhaji Mumuni mentioned illicit drug trafficking, religious extremism, and piracy as some of these emerging threats.

“If not tackled adequately, they could erode dividends of peace and stability and the road to peaceful recovery may not produce the desired outcomes” Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni said. He added that to address the situation, it is important detailed conflict resolution and crisis prevention strategies are developed and rolled-out in addition to addressing cross-boarder issues and challenges to regional peace and security.

Delivering the keynote address, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Amb. Victor Gbeho mentioned that the experiences of West Africa in dealing with state implosion and insecurity has led to the realization that peace cannot be maintained in an environment of bad governance, marginalization, deprivation, and poverty. Amb. Gbeho added that to deal with current security threats in the sub-region, ECOWAS has reviewed its peace and security architecture as well its institutional set-up, in order to re-position itself to confront existing and new challenges to the human security. Key among these, he mentioned, is the land mark protocols in 1999 and 2001 which set minimum constitutional convergence criteria for ECOWAS membership based on common values of democracy and free market, separation of powers, popular participation, the democratic control of the armed forces, guarantees of basic freedoms and zero tolerance for power obtained or maintained by unconstitutional means.

Welcoming participants to the session, the Commandant of KAIPTC, AVM Christian Dovlo indicated he was hopeful the workshop will lead to outcomes that will strengthen peace and democracy in the sub-region. AVM Dovlo was extremely grateful to the Centre for International Peace Operations (ZIF) and German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) for the solid partnership leading to the organization of the seminar and other policy-related seminars since 2003.

The deliberations at the seminar will be published as a report in which key policy recommendations will be highlighted.

Participants from the workshop include high level officials from the ECOWAS Commission, senior government officials from the sub-region and representatives of civil society groups selected from West Africa