Course on security sector governance opens

Accra, June 25, GNA - Despite changes in the country's socio-economic environment, there is the need for the government and people of Ghana to be assured of value for money for investments made for the nation's security, Presidential Affairs, Minister Kwadwo Mpiani, said on Monday.

He said effective and efficient management of the security sector would enable Ghana to make savings, which would be invested back into more development projects that would eventually help boost government's commitment to achieve a higher state of economic growth. "While there is no question about the performance of our security establishment, there is still much work to be done to improve our security management," he said, in a speech read for him by the Deputy Defence Minister, William Boafo, at the opening of a two-week Ghana Security Sector Governance and Management Course at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College at Teshie in Accra.

The course seeks to develop the understanding of the essential concepts and procedures in international relations and security sector governance and management and how they could be translated into effective management of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies. It also aims to place Ghana's security sector reform initiative in an appropriate regional and international context and to familiarize the security agencies with the need for political direction of security and the methods of its application.

Participants are drawn from the Office of the President, National Security, the Ministries of Defence, Interior, Justice, Finance, Information, Foreign Affairs, Local Government, the various security services, some government agencies and civil society organisations. Both the UK and Ghana governments are funding the course, which is the fourth in the series.

Mr Mpiani noted that the changes in the political, economic and social climate resulting from the new democratic dispensation, good governance and the rule of law called for an appropriate response from the security sector.

This, he said, called for the need for security sector reform initiative to include the education and training of personnel from the country's security sector and allied institutions to provide maximum support to ensure the stability of government.

The Minister noted that the era when security issues were seen as the sole preserve of the military and police were gone. "Today, such issues are to be seen as issues of the entire society because all of us wish to live under conditions of peace, stability and development." "The people of Ghana should spare no effort to sustain and protect democratic governance, for with all its imperfections, it is the best form of government," he added. 25 June 07