President Akufo-Addo says the country must contribute its quota to ensure that African countries have good governance and not coups d'état.

According to him, Ghana does “not want to be an island of peace and stability in a region of turmoil.”

“We do not aspire to be prosperous in the midst of want and poverty. We want a stable and prosperous Ghana in a stable and prosperous region,” he added.

As Chairperson of the Economic Community of West African States, the President when delivering his State of the Nation Address said that it is important Ghana capitalises on its position to ensure peace and stability in the sub-region.

“We should use our Chairmanship of ECOWAS, our membership of the AU, and as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council to work towards achieving these goals,” he said on Wednesday.

There has been a series of military take-overs in the sub-region.

In September 2021, Guinea was thrown into political unrest when Col Mamady Doumbouya overthrew the nation’s President, Alpha Condé.

Prior to that, Mali had experienced a coup d’état in August 2020.

Col Assimi Goïta, the leader of Mali’s junta, was officially sworn in as the country’s interim President and promised “credible, fair and transparent elections”.

Burkina Faso is the latest country to have its democracy abruptly halted.

Following these developments, ECOWAS has convened a series of meetings to restore political stability in these nations.

Addressing Parliament today, President Akufo-Addo expressed concern over the increasing spate of development.

“The West African Region is suddenly back in the international headline news for all the wrong reasons; we are back again as the region of political instability and the place for coups.

“Long and bitter experiences led ECOWAS to its current stance of zero tolerance for military coups,” he warned.

Already, President Akufo-Addo has charged colleague Heads of State to take decisive steps to address the trend of coups d’etat witnessed in the sub-region.

“The resurgence of coup d’etat in our region is of grave concern. This evolution challenges the democratic way of life we have chosen. We need to stand firm to protect democracy and freedom in our region.

“Let us address this dangerous trend collectively and decisively before it devastates the whole region,” he charged his colleague Heads of State.