The event that was held at the Sheraton five-star hotel, Brufut, garnered together high profile personalities, such as Ghana’s former vice president, Gambia’s Interior Minister, and other dignitaries from across Africa.
The lecture series that was first included in the organisation’s functions in 2005, aims at identifying security problems affecting Africa and her people, discuss these problems and proffer actionable solutions.
Speaking at the occasion, His Excellence Alhaji Aliyu Mahama, former vice president of Ghana, applauded Security Watch and the theme – ‘Can Africa get its security and infrastructure right?’ – selected for the occasion, saying it provides an interesting opportunity to stimulate reflection during the course of the two day engagement.
“The timing of these lectures is also most appropriate at a time our continent continues to confront and deal with major security challenges within the state in some African continent.
“Going back a bit into the history of events on our continent, it is worthy to note that since the establishment of the African Union [….] and the development of the Africa Peace and Security Architecture, the continent has been undergoing a paradigm shift from state-centric functionality of security to the broader understanding and application of Human Security with the focus on human life and dignity,” H.E Aliyu Mahama emphasised.
He said that the materialization of democratic practices and good governance as well as poverty obliteration is a dimension that calls for the improvement of security and safety measures in the continent.
“It is also worthwhile to mention that democratic practices, good governance, development and poverty eradication are mutually reinforcing imperatives that give meaningful to security and infrastructure in Africa today.”
He underscored that African states should ensure safety and protective measures are imposed on the continent for the wellbeing of the continent’s children.
“It is therefore important for our African States to continue to enhance capacities to protect the state and to protect citizens,” he said, adding that this requires re-training and resourcing state security apparatuses adequately while deploying modern technology in the fight against violent crimes and terrorism.
He noted that this process could not be done in isolation to each other. Rather “It has to be integrated in a human security approach in which the well-being of our citizens creates the environment for a better security infrastructure that is sustainable.”
Ghana’s former vice president explained that in his country, a national consensus was started around a broad policy framework on national architecture for peace, which has the objective of enabling and facilitating the development of national mechanisms for cooperation among all the relevant stakeholders for building peace, enhancing security and promoting cooperative problem solving.
“We have gradually institutionalised these processes with a functioning National Peace Council that complements the National Security mechanisms to engage in conflict transformation, social, political and religious reconciliation through dialogue,” the former vice president of one of Africa’s most powerful nations,” said.
His part, Hon Ousman Sonko, the Minsister of Interior, who represented the president, said “Without peace and stability, there can be no meaningful development.”
According to him, crimes nowadays are taking transnational and intercontinental dimension, and the magnitude of illicit drug trafficking and the movement of small arms is also a cause for alarm.
Whilst he said every nation should beef up security to counter potential threats, he pointed out that the continent should develop its own strategies and means of bringing about peace and security based on it realities.
Honorable Osman Sonko
He applauded Africa Security Watch for the giant steps it has taken over the past years, and called on governments around the continent to support the organization.
Patrick Agbambu, International Coordinator/CEO for Security Watch also highlighted some hitches affecting security in Africa, saying “lack of intelligence gathering, is affecting security in Africa.”
He said the mission of Security Watch Africa is to bridge the gap of information that exists between security providers and security users, between government and the governed; provide avenue for meaningful cross-fertilization of ideas by security stakeholders, and be an agent of motivation and encouragement.
The Award ceremony was Initiated and inaugurated in 2004, with the aim to recognise, appreciate, encourage and celebrate individuals, governments, agencies, brands and companies who have excelled in security administration, practice and governance in Africa. It has remained a truly credible and glamorous international event.
The lecture series, which was introduced in 2005, is aimed at identifying security problems affecting Africa and her people, discuss these problems and proffer actionable solutions.
“We identified the need to draw from the wealth of experience of security decision makers and professionals, both within and outside the continent to facilitate the lectures, making it an opportunity for new discoveries to the attendees,” Mr Agbambu said.
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