President John Evans Atta Mills yesterday, sounded a note of warning to drug barons across the globe that �Ghana is out of bounds� for their illicit drug trade, saying the nation�s security apparatus was on red alert.
Addressing the 66th United Nations General Assembly in New York, President Mills said that Ghana was intensify her efforts to check the menace, in spite of the gains made in fighting drug trafficking in recent years.
�My administration remains relentlessly committed to vigorously fighting the narcotics menace. We will continue to make Ghana an unattractive destination for the drug barons and their assigns,� he told the General Assembly attended by world leaders.
He said �Ghana must be free from drugs on society. Indeed, the world must be made an unattractive place for the illicit drug trade,� he stressed in his address, which is his second to the Assembly.�
Briefing the Assembly of the government�s development initiatives, he said as his administration continued to invest heavily in the youth by expanding education and skills training opportunities, efforts would be made to protect them against destructive e practices such as drug trafficking and its use.
He cited increase in provision of free school uniforms, free text books, and the elimination of over 1,000 schools, under trees within the last two years, saying �we are confident that the right foundation is being built for take-off�. He said, �Ghana�s oil and gas find also gives us greater opportunity to create the necessary environment for sustainable job creation avenues to comprehensively beat down youth unemployment, he added.
Ghana, he said, was implementing a youth policy which was placing young men and women at the centre of nation building, indicating that Ghana highly recognized and appreciated the contributions of its youth in the development of her democracy and nation.
The government, he noted, believed that the adoption of the UN political declaration urging states to develop comprehensive policies and action plans to give more meaning to youth development, was commendable, especially in this International Year of the Youth.
Touching on other pertinent national and global issues such as conflict prevention, climate change, gender development and human security, President Mills reiterated his administration�s commitment to ensuring a free and transparent general election in Ghana next year.
�Ghana�s democratic credentials stand tall and we intend to maintain the standards we have achieved,� he said, adding that the Electoral Commission was being resourced adequately to successfully conduct the elections in a free, fair and transparent manner to safeguard the rights of the citizenry.
He invited the international community to keep an eye on the 2012 poll, as it did in 2008, saying the interest of the international community in Ghana was a source of encouragement for her to conduct the elections peacefully.
He said the government had taken measures to strengthen the rule of law by enacting appropriate legislation to promote accountability and good governance, protect human rights, ensure the independence and integrity of the judiciary, free and fair elections, and the freedom of the media, all in an effort to maintain Ghana as a free and peaceful society.
On the international front, President Mills lauded the various initiatives being pursued by the UN to ensure a better world, and reaffirmed Ghana�s commitment to the ideals of the UN and advocated the mustering of the necessary political will that would allow the UN to function more effectively and efficiently.
Ghana he said, recognized the accomplishment of the UN in taking in complex peacekeeping and security dimensions which require long-term planning and strategic reforms to enable the global body to effectively deal with peace-building challenges around the world.
<<Print>>