The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Samuel A. Jinapor has commended the Ghana Boundary Commission for its work over the years in ensuring that the nation’s international boundaries and territorial sovereignty is always protected.
In a statement on the floor of the House to commemorate this year’s fourteenth Africa Border Day which is marked June 7 every year, following the adoption of the Africa Union Convention on Cross Border Cooperation known as the ‘Niamey Convention’, he affirmed that the Commission has helped the nation to uphold international law to resolve boundary disputes through peaceful cooperation and has been recognized on the continent leading to other countries engaging the Commission to learn from them.
This year’s celebration is on the theme “Educate an African fit for the twenty-first century, building resilient education system for increase access to inclusive, lifelong, quality and relevant learning in Africa”.
The Minister, however, noted that to scale up the work of the commission to achieve greater impact, it is important to engage and empower border communities including traditional authorities, border security communities, municipal and district assemblies in border areas together with other stakeholders to create significant awareness.
Border communities, he noted, often bear the brunt of border-related challenges, including cross-border conflicts illegal migration and transnational organized crime, hence “we can safeguard our boundaries by involving the relevant stakeholders in the decision making process and providing them with the necessary knowledge and resources to foster a sense of ownership and responsibility.”
In addition, education also serves as a powerful tool in promoting inter-cultural dialogue, tolerance and mutual understanding that counter the narrative of hate and division that fuel extremist ideologies.
To create a formidable defense against the forces of violence and extremism, the youth can be empowered to become active agents of change within their communities, so that the forces of violence and extremism which often target vulnerable populations including the youth in border communities will not be achieved.
Furthermore, by promoting cross-border exchanges, economic cooperation, and joint development projects, we can overcome the barriers that divide us and create stronger, more resilient border communities, he added.
The Minister asserts that the profound words of our first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, that “Africa is one continent, one people and one nation,” must continue to inspire us, and lead us to recommit ourselves to the ideals of unity, solidarity, and cooperation that underpin the African Union, while recognizing that our borders are not barriers to be feared but bridges to be crossed in pursuit of a shared future of peace, prosperity, and progress for all Africans.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com
