Akufo Addo Calls for Urgent Global Action in UN Speech

A world economy badly bruised by emergencies was the context of the statement issued by Ghana’s Leader Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo at the 77th UN General Assembly meeting in New York. The President of Ghana, wearing a stately and stern mien, said “we cannot wait” and must urgently confront the existential realities of today’s world.

Akufo Addo had a message that raced on COVID-19, Russia’s war in Ukraine and Climate Change, describing the triad as set of circumstances driving nations into disruptive chaos. Global economic outlook is grimed by the exigencies, he noted.

In specifics, he said, constraints and costs imposed on energy, food supply chains and ballooning debts or the risk of all the aforementioned factors, present greater dangers to the world than any point of mankind’s history.

The nightmarish experience of nations under the current geopolitical system, shows that national policies are a success to the extent permitted by the external situation.

President Akufo Addo proffered some solutions. He calls for a collaborative approach by nations in tackling the pangs of evolution. While this call aligns with globalisation, steps taken by his government prior to the outbreak of COVID 19 tilted toward homegrown solutions. This gives a picture of a leader whose foresight appeared to anticipate external shocks and therefore committed his workings to a self sustenance to offset contingencies.

Though his Ghana Beyond Aid mantra is under serious threat, he is energized by the troubling waters to act very fast on that agenda. He said, Africa with sixty per cent share of the Planet’s arable land, must act quickly at attaining levels of food sufficiency that cannot be tainted by inflation.

President Akufo Addo sought to galvanize Africa around the Africa Continental Free Trade Area, so the continent engages the rest of the world as one bloc, especially in trade and business. The semantics are different but does echo the position of champions of Africa’s decolonisation process.

The speech made by Ghana’s Leader also dwelt extensively on the Sahel region where terrorist acts have put the West Africa region on red alert and increasing defence budgets at a time resources are critically needed for human development. He called the phenomenon a dilemma and a distraction on the pressing needs.

The war theatre of Ukraine has dominated latest proceedings at the UN.