Samuel Abu Jinapor, Lands Minister
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has stressed the need to effectively and efficiently manage the land borders of the country.
The Minister made the call when he delivered a statement on the floor of Parliament yesterday in commemoration of the 13th African Border Day.
“Let’s all to continue to work towards effective and efficient border management, and not make borders barriers that divide us, but bridges that connect us and promote peace, security, and development for our nations and our continent,” he stated
He said an efficient and effective border management is sine qua non to the noble and historic quest to provide a secured continent to enable the country unleash prosperity for the long-suffering peoples of Africa.
“Particularly, given that, for us here in Africa, our border lines were drawn without our consent and involvement, and without regard to our cultural, traditional and political heritage, boundary issues will remain key to our security, and peaceful coexistence,” he stressed.
Celebration
Giving a brief background on the reason for the celebration of the Day, Mr Jinapor said the African Border Day was adopted by African Ministers in charge of Border Issues, at their second Meeting held in 2010, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He said it seekd to promote the importance of the African Union Border Programme (AUBP) to peace, regional, and continental integration.
The African Day, he said, is also used to celebrate the progress Africa has made, individually as member states of the African Union, and collectively as a continent, in securing and managing boundaries of the various countries, and to forge a common path for dealing with the challenges that still lie ahead.
The Minister opined that this year’s African Border Day celebration is a very significant one as it calls on all of Africa to reflect on the importance of the borders to national and regional security, stability, and sustainable development.
The Minister also noted that boundaries are not just physical barriers that separate countries, adding that “they are complex systems that require effective management, coordination, and cooperation among all stakeholders”.
“As a continent, our efforts at promoting peace, stability, and prosperity along borders, continue to be hindered by several challenges, such as transnational organised crime, terrorism, violent extremism, smuggling and irregular migration,” he indicated.
Appreciation
He, therefore, appreciated the efforts of the Members of Parliament for their cooperation which saw to the swift ratification of the African Union Convention on Cross-Border Cooperation in the First Meeting of Third Session of this Parliament.
He also thanked all the security services that have been involved in the exercise. “As we commemorate this day, let us renew our commitment to working together to overcome the challenges confronting our borders.
Mr Jinapor highly commended the Ghana Boundary Commission, under the leadership of its tenacious Coordinator, Major General Emmanuel W. Kotia, for the hard work to demarcate and delimit the international boundaries in Ghana.
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