Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has announced that the ECOWAS Council of Ministers has endorsed Ghana’s petition to the African Union (AU) on xenophobia and also thrown its support behind the Accra Next Steps Commitments on Reparatory Justice.
The Minister disclosed the development in a Facebook post on Sunday, July 19, while attending meetings of the ECOWAS Council of Ministers in Sierra Leone ahead of the summit of the Authority of Heads of State and Government.
According to Mr. Ablakwa, the endorsement by the regional body demonstrates growing support for Ghana’s efforts to promote tolerance, unity, justice and the protection of human dignity across the African continent.
“I commend the ECOWAS Council of Ministers for declaring full support for Ghana’s petition to the African Union against Xenophobia and for their unconditional endorsement of the Accra Next Steps Commitments on Reparatory Justice,” he stated.
The Foreign Affairs Minister noted that Ghana remains committed to championing policies and initiatives that strengthen African solidarity while safeguarding the rights and dignity of people across the continent.
“We shall keep working tirelessly towards the attainment of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s dream of a united, tolerant and prosperous Africa,” he added.
Mr. Ablakwa is part of Ghana’s delegation participating in the ECOWAS meetings in Sierra Leone, where regional leaders are expected to discuss major political, economic and security challenges facing the West African sub-region.
The endorsement is seen as a significant boost to Ghana’s efforts to place issues of xenophobia, African unity and reparatory justice higher on the continental agenda through engagement with the African Union and other regional institutions.
