Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has been appointed as the new Secretary General of the 79-member AP Countries group for a 5-year term, a statement says. He is expected to take up his new appointment on 1st March 2010. Consequently, Dr Chambas will succeed Sir John Kaputin, a former Foreign Minister of Papua New Guinea and the out-going Secretary General, whose term ends in November, 2009. According to the statement issued by the Information Ministry, Dr Chambas is assuming “office at a crucial time for the ACP Group as the unity of the Organization is facing challenges from the regional trade packages which the European Commission is concluding with individual ACP regions.” The statement, however, expressed hope that with his wealth of international experience from ECOWAS, Dr Ibn Chambas will be guided to undertake the work of the ACP to the benefit of all countries, including Ghana. By: Dorcas Efe Mensah/myjoyonline.com/Ghana