Form Strong Collaboration To Fight Civil Wars – Adwoa Safo To Commonwealth MPs

The Deputy Majority leader of Parliament of Ghana and a member of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Hon. Sarah Adwoa Safo has called on Commonwealth Parliamentarians to form a strong collaboration in mounting a stronger advocacy in silencing the guns on the continent.

She said the results of war and conflicts leaves nothing but dare consequences of abject poverty, depravation and lack of development.

Hon. Sarah Adwoa Safo, who is also the Minister of State in Charge of Public Procurement, made this observation at the 48th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association held from 20th – 26th of October at the Imo Trade and Investment Centre, Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria.

The theme for the event was ‘Africa Agenda 2063: Vision and Master Plan’.

The Member of Parliament for Dome /Kwabenya commenting further stressed the need for African governments to strive to develop new security architecture with specific emphasis on conflict prevention through peace building and the identification of early warning signs to stop civil wars that usually occur in the African continent.

The Hon. Adwoa Safo noted with grave concern, the proliferation of small arms which has become a major weapon that trigger warfare and the urgent need for African Parliamentarians to legislate laws to regulate the proliferation of small arms on the continent.

She asserted that strict adherence to the laws governing the regulations of small arms will help reduce the proliferation of small arms which will go a long way to reducing the rate of civil war in Africa. She informed the gathering that Parliament of Ghana for instance has enacted (Act 736) which established the National Commission on Small Arms and Light Weapons, under the Ministry of Interior to regulate the circulation of small arms.

She stressed that most African countries are signatories to the United Nation’s Programme of Action Small Arms as well as the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms especially in the case of West African Countries.

Yet they have not enacted their various domestic laws to deal with this menace.