Ghana’s President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has said the fight against terrorism and violent extremism cannot be limited only to military means, vital as they are.

According to President Akufo-Addo, “Broader policies must also be put in place to create opportunities and jobs for our youth if we are to deal successfully with their root causes.”

Speaking at the maiden edition of the Kofi Annan Peace and Security Forum at the Movenpick Hotel, on Wednesday, 4th September 2019, the President urged African leaders to prioritise access to education for Africa’s youth as a means to combating terrorism and violent extremism 

Africa, the President explained, must, as a matter of great urgency, ensure access to education for all her youth.

“We are told that 89 million young Africans of school-going age are not in school. That has to stop, and stop now. In Ghana, at great cost, we have, since my assumption of office in January 2017, instituted a system of free secondary education, which has increased enrolment by nearly 50%. From this month, when schools re-open, 1.2 million Ghanaian children will be beneficiaries of the Free Senior High School policy, the highest number of pupils in secondary school in our history,” he said.

Secondly, President Akufo-Addo advocated the structural transformation of African economies, which are currently dependent on the production and export of raw materials, to value-added, industrialised economies.

“We must rapidly leave behind the old agrarian economies, and embrace the technological and digital potential of the new, modern economies, and, thereby, give opportunities, jobs and hope to our young people, to live dignified, productive lives here at home,” he added.

Thirdly, the President called for the promotion and the development of a system and culture of accountable governance, free of corruption, whereby the African peoples are governed in accordance with the rule of law, respect for individual liberties and human rights, and the principles of democratic accountability.

“Such a system requires building strong institutions of state, such as well-resourced Parliaments and Judiciaries, efficient law enforcement agencies, and effective security forces, that see their responsibilities and allegiances to the wider public interest, not just to the conveniences of the government of the day. Innovative, creative mobilisation and disciplined use of public resources are, therefore, of the utmost importance in this struggle for national development. It can be done,” the President explained.