Dr. Ibin Chambas said this when he spoke on Wednesday at the inaugural UPSA Annual Leadership Lecture in Accra, organized by the University.

[contextly_sidebar id=”NRuMmJw8DZ69rpaZYtkfyivq5ksKS7Kr”]He said the youth have to be critical thinkers, and be able question the world around them, while also being able to identify existing challenges, power structures and barriers, to be able to expose contradictions and biases.

He also noted that, the youth must be change makers, stating that they should have the power to act and mobilize others, and do more to promote African culture.

“Young people have displayed remarkable talent and skill in developing and exposing African culture through the film and music industries, with far reaching influence. Today, Nollywood is the world’s second-largest cinematographic power in terms of the number of films since 2009, with a regular audience of an estimated at 150 million viewers,” he said.

“Also growing in the industry is Ghana and Kenya amongst others. Additionally, the African fashion industry is successfully promoting and cultivating African and African-inspired design talent on the continent and the world stage.”

Ibn Chambas,  a strong advocate of youth development, urged young Africans to be innovators and to proudly display their remarkable skills to the rest of the world.

According to him, when young people are empowered with the knowledge of their rights and supported to develop leadership skills, they can drive change in their communities and countries.

Ibn Chambas added that, the youth have to take the mantle into their own hands in creating the kind of Africa they want to live in by coming together and defining their own culture and value systems.

“The youths themselves must intentionally create a culture that encourages the building and shaping of the Africa that they want. The change they want begins with them coming together and developing their own culture and value system for thinking, planning, implementation, accountability, integrity, and collaboration. It is up to the African youth to step up shape the narrative of our continent, ” he said.

He also urged governments across the continent to engage youth from all walks of life on national issues in order to ensure their involvement in the quest to attain the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

“If countries are to succeed in achieving the SDGs, leaving no one behind along the way, governments must seek out an active and substantive engagement of young women and men from diverse backgrounds in national-level planning, implementation, and monitoring”

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By: Farida Yusif/Citifmonline.com/Ghana

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According to Dr. Ibn Chambas, despite the potential of a large population size to translate into significant economic growth as had been seen in countries like China and India, it was imperative for African countries to control the recent “demographic explosion” that the continent was experiencing.

[contextly_sidebar id=”YCltBSQbi0W9NXl293OIvJdLESdavlP6″]Speaking at the inaugural UPSA Annual Leadership Lecture in Accra on Wednesday, Dr. Ibn Chambas, argued that, African countries risked collapsing under the weight of large populations as the social structures that are in place were already struggling to cope with the needs of the existing population.

“Population growth per se is welcome as it is also a factor of economic growth. In case of Africa, so far, it is rather a problem because the population grows faster than the economy, and countries cannot cope with the increasing demands for basic social services such as water, sanitation, education, and health. Although urbanization is needed for the transformation of African economies, its rapid pace adds to the stress on the economy; hence the need to manage it properly.”

United Nation estimates show that, the population of sub-Saharan Africa is expected to exceed three billion by the next century.

According to Dr. Chambas, Nigeria and Tanzania are also estimated to become the third and fifth most populous countries in the world by the time, while the Democratic Republic of Congo will be third African country in the top ten.

“Being the most rapidly growing part of the world, sub-Saharan Africa’s one billion people will surge in the next 50 years to two billion and three billion and reach an estimated 3.7 billion in 2100, right behind Asia’s four billion by then. Based on well-regarded UN Population Division estimates, Nigeria will become the third most populated nation in the world, after India and China. Tanzania, now a mere 75 million people, will soar to 340 million and become the fifth largest country in the world. The Democratic Republic of Congo will hold 212 million and be the eighth largest polity, bigger at that time than Brazil.”

Rural extinction

Dr. Ibn Chambas noted that, the rise in the population in the African countries was translating into the congestion of the urban areas and big cities on the continent.

This, he said, would result in cities “mushrooming” and a decline in the population in rural area “from 50 percent of the total today to 25 per cent of the population in 2100.

Such a major surge in the population, according to him, would create numerous challenges in resource allocation, quality service provision and governance.

“Where will the food to feed these new millions come from? How will they be governed? Are current methods of political management adequate? Most of all, can Africa, like Asia, realize a demographic dividend if educational resources are sparse and new employment possibilities cannot keep pace with population growth?,” he queried.
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By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The  lecture by the University of Professional Studies, was on the theme “Equipping the youth to renegotiate Africa’s position in the era of Africa Rising.”

Among other things,  he urged African leaders to place a lot more focus on the management of the rate of increase in the population of their countries as it could negatively affect their economic growth.

He also called on the leaders to effectively tackle corruption and promote accountability in their states as that would be a giant step towards the development they seek.

Click here for the full Speech delivered by Dr. Ibn Chambas

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Ibn Chambas made the call when he spoke at the maiden UPSA Annual Leadership Lecture held in Accra on Wednesday.

“National authorities should spare no efforts to tackle corruption and inefficiency and to enhance accountability in government,” Dr. Chambas said.

[contextly_sidebar id=”PH4JpYQcx9kifImcs5YnVG9vgrUXmFHf”]He explained that, for this to be possible, African governments must aim at “reducing the scope of distortionary, rent-seeking activities, eliminating wasteful or unproductive use of public funds and providing the necessary domestic security.”

The UN representative also called on African leaders to undertake strategic reforms, including drastically reducing the size of their civil service in order to halt bureaucratic processes that government agencies adopt in executing their duties.

“African countries would also have to undertake a comprehensive reform of the civil service, aimed at reducing its size by enhancing its efficiency. In short, governments must create confidence in their role as a valued and trusted partner of private economic agents.”

Rope in civil society

Dr. Chambas during the lecture, also advised leaders in Africa to seek the views of civil society organizations on economic policies.

“African governments would need to actively encourage the participation of civil society in the debate on economic policy and to seek the broad support of the population for the adjustments that are needed. To this end, governments would need to pursue a more active information policy explaining the objectives of policies and soliciting the inputs of those whom the policies are intended to benefit,” he added.

’75 million Africans paid bribes’

A study conducted by Transparency International revealed that nearly 75 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa are estimated to have paid a bribe in the past year – some to escape punishment by the police or courts, but many forced to pay to get access to the basic services that they desperately need.

The 2016 corruption perception index released by Transparency International also showed that the country rating had dropped by four percentage points, scoring 43 out of a clean score of 100.

The country was ranked 70 out of 176 countries globally; performing worse than countries such as Rwanda, Namibia and Senegal.

In a related development, the government has announced that the Office of the Special Prosecutor will be operationalised in 2018 to deal with corrupt government officials after a Bill legislating the creation of the position was passed by Parliament on Tuesday.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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Some members of Delta Force, stormed the Kumasi Circuit Court and freed about 13 members of their group, who were facing charges for causing disturbances at the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council. The group vandalized some court properties, and almost assaulted the Judge, Mary Senkyire in the process.

Aside this development, there have been several attacks staged by other vigilante groups affiliated with the governing NPP.

A joint statement authored by the special representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel; Mohammed Ibn Chambas , and the resident coordinator of the UN system in Ghana; Christiane Evans-Klock described these attacks as reprehensible.

The statement, which was issued on Monday April 10 and copied to citifmonline.com also called for a thorough government investigation into these incidents since Ghana’s image is being affected by these developments.

“The two UN officials outrightly denounce these reprehensible acts that are the latest in a series of similar incidents since the end of the December 2016 elections in Ghana.They welcome positively the unambiguous condemnation of these acts by the government and expect that all necessary measures will be taken to investigate these actions and bring the perpetrators to justice,” the statement said.

Read the full statement below:

STATEMENT BY THE UNITED NATIONS ON RECENT VIOLENCE AT KUMASI CIRCUIT COURT

Accra, Ghana: 10 April 2017 – The United Nations has consistently drawn attention to the negative role of vigilante groups in the two leading political parties of Ghana.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, Mohamed Ibn Chambas, and the Resident Coordinator of the UN system in Ghana, Christine Evans-Klock, have followed with consternation the acts of impunity perpetrated by the Delta Force vigilante group in the aftermath of December 2016 elections.

They are particularly concerned that these political militants invaded the premises of Kumasi Circuit Court on 6 April 2017, and freed their members standing trial for assault on the Regional Security Coordinator on 24 March 2017.

These acts are likely to tarnish the image of Ghana as a model of democracy and the rule of law.

The two UN officials outrightly denounce these reprehensible acts that are the latest in a series of similar incidents since the end of the December 2016 elections in Ghana.

They welcome positively the unambiguous condemnation of these acts by the government and expect that all necessary measures will be taken to investigate these actions and bring the perpetrators to justice.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for West Africa and the Sahel, who made the revelation said the threat of terrorism does not only constitute hit-and-run attacks from Boko Harama on Nigeria , Chad, Niger and Cameroon but also attacks within the wider sub region.

He said originally, militant groups were driven by sentiments of exclusion, marginalisation and disenfranchisement.

Citing Mali as a case study, he explained that it would be important to pursue efforts of decentralisation, in order to maintain a commitment by national stakeholders to the implementation of the peace process.

Dr Chambas made these remarks in Accra during the unveiling of the Head Office Complex of the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP).

The event, which coincided with the launch of a book, dubbed: “Strides and Strains of CSOs in Africa: The WANEP Story”, was chaired by Mr Alain Marcel Da Souza, the ECOWAS Commission President.

In attendance were Dr Sam G. Doe, the first Executive Director and Co-founder of WANEP and Mr Emmanuel H. Bombande, the second Executive Director and Co-founder of WANEP.

Dr Chambas said ECOWAS and WANEP would be in a good position to devise collaborative approaches in addressing these challenges and related issues of peace and security, while creating a conducive environment for mediation and negotiation.

He said the ECOWAS would strengthen its collaboration with WANEP in addressing common threats affecting the sub-region.

On the recent events that led to former President Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia after more than two decades of ‘strong’ rule, Dr Chambas said: “While this was a truly remarkable manifestation of the international community upholding the collective will of The Gambians for genuine democracy”, it will be important for civil society organisations such as WANEP to join in and support the efforts of ECOWAS, the African Union and the UN to accomplish the transition in The Gambia, which will be a long and arduous process that touches on critical issues of national reconciliation, and security sector reform”.

Mr. Da Souza remarked that the wisdom of ECOWAS to formally collaborate with CSOs and in particular WANEP was in line with the ECOWAS vision of transforming itself from an ECOWAS of States to an ECOWAS of Peoples.

“Ever since the emphasis on human security became enshrined in international normative frameworks and adopted by ECOWAS as the undergirding principle for its Regional Conflict Prevention programme, the issue of peace and security can no longer be the sole preserve of governments,” he said.

“Building peace and ensuring human security is the collective responsibility of all stakeholders. Governments everywhere have come to recognize and accept the critical role of civil society in complementing its efforts at building peace and sustainable development,” he added.

Mr Chukwuemeka B. Eze, the Executive Director of WANEP, said with the cooporation of governments, ECOWAS, the African Union, and development partners, WANEP had continued to act as a catalyst in implementing programmes and specific activities that support Africa Peace Agenda.
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By: GNA

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Some Ghanaians have questioned the EC’s ability to organize a successful election following nationwide reports of confusion over missing names clouded the special voting exercise on Thursday.

Over 127,000 security and media personnel as well as EC officials and others who will have roles to play on election day, were expected to take part in the exercise.

Although the exercise which was held in 275 constituencies was largely peaceful, there were some complaints about the list EC sent to agencies and the list used on the day.

This prevented a number of people who will be working on voting day including journalists and security personnel from voting.

Though the EC has scheduled another special voting exercise for December 4, 2016, the questions over its competence persist.

But speaking to Citi News on the sidelines of the Women’s Situation Room Cocktail with the chair of the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS), Her Excellency Johnson Sirleaf, Dr. Chambers called on all to cooperate with the EC for a successful civic exercise.

“It is good that it[challenges] came up early enough. We still have time between now and election day which is December 7 so let us allow institutions to work.

“So far all the challenges that have come up have been resolved satisfactorily to the political parties and it is important that I emphasize this because they are the ones in the competition and the Electoral Commission is determined to work in a manner such that there is full consultation with political parties in whatever solutions it comes up to problems that arise.”

In a related story, Nobel Peace Laureate and Chairperson of ECOWAS Her Excellency, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has warned of the dire consequences of electoral violence.

She has therefore charged women to protect the country’s reputation as a beacon of peace.

“I can tell you that if there is violence during the elections and it spills over to the communities, there is a likelihood that a lot of people will get hurt, some people will die, properties will be destroyed, and when that starts people take advantage of the situation and it spreads beyond control. That is why we want to make sure Ghana maintains its good reputation.”

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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Speaking at a national colloquium on electoral violence, Dr. Ibn Chambas advised the politicians to instead focus on the relevant issues of development.

[contextly_sidebar id=”IlNyRTSEEFeH7kCjvYMVYlXMaxx8K5Br”]He explained that the country was in the second phase of the electoral cycle that generally begun with the start of the campaign period adding that “the political parties are expected to publicly and constantly reaffirm their commitment to a fair and peaceful process.”

Thus, Dr. Ibn Chambas urged politicians “to desist from attacks on personalities and focus on relevant issues pertaining to the lives of Ghanaians.”

“The election campaign should be an opportunity to debate issues and perspectives instead of trading insults, invectives, use of hate speech,” he added.

Back and forth between leading parties

The flagbearer of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, recently chided President John Dramani Mahama and the flagbearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP,) Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo over what he described as the ‘children politics’ being engaged in by the two.

The campaign trail has seen them take a number of jabs at each other with the National Democratic Congress’ President Mahama notably describing the NPP flagbearer as a divisive leader and a dictator who could not run the country.

Nana Akufo-Addo himself, on the campaign trail, has described President Mahama as incompetent and an impediment to the State.

Death wish for Mahama

The past week also saw government condemn as hate speech the 1st Vice Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), F.F. Anto’s suggestion President Mahama deserved a death sentence for seeking a second term at the presidency.

Speaking on Accra-based Abusua FM, F.F. Anto said President Mahama ought to be hanged or killed by firing squad following his bid for another four years in power on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The NPP Vice Chairman is also quoted by news reports as making reference to the death sentence handed out to a former President, General I. K. Acheampong, who was killed by a firing squad in 1979, indicating that President Mahama deserved a similar fate.

A statement from the Communications Ministry asserted that “hate speech, plotting violence and calls for murder must not have a place in our politics” and condemned what it described as the opposition NPP’s “constant resort to hate speech.”

Follow the hashtag #GhElections on social media for more elected related stories

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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