The Ghana Boundary Commission(GhBC) has commemorated the 11th African Border Day on 7th June 2021, a day set aside by the African Union(AU) to sensitize Member States, Regional Economic Communities(RECs) and relevant stakeholders on border issues, as well as the importance of continental, regional integration and cross-border cooperation.
This year’s African Border Day celebration is on the theme “Arts, Culture and Heritage: Levers For Building the Africa We Want”.
The day, celebrated annually on 7th June, aims at highlighting the role of the African Union Border Program(AUBP) and the AU convention on Cross-Border Cooperation(the Niamey Convention), which facilitates and supports the demarcation and delimiting of African Boundaries. And the development and promotion of cross-border cooperation among States, whilst also encouraging additional efforts for their implementation.
As part of efforts to comply with and implement the AUBP and the Niamey Convention as necessary mechanisms for the transformation of boundary zones and cross-border areas into spaces conducive to regional and continental integration, the Ghana Boundary Commission was reconstituted by the government of Ghana with the mandate of determining, demarcating and delimiting Ghana’s land and maritime boundaries.
As well as settling boundary disputes all in accordance with accepted principles of international laws and good neighborliness. The commission’s establishment is particularly important due to growing border issues and challenges such as removal or displacement of international boundary pillars and disputes over trans-boundary resources, among others.
The commission said, recognizing the key roles of Africa’s rich culture, arts and heritage as catalysts for integration, resilience and socio-economic development of the African continent and also in helping to promulgate the AU Agenda 2063 “of a continent of seamless borders and management of cross-border resources through dialogue”.
“African arts, culture and heritage has proven its resilience, having not only survived through the COVID-19 pandemic but also contributing to fight against it. Indeed, they were the instrumental avenues for COVID-19 information dissemination and the perfect companions during the lockdown periods, having adapted to the pandemic and employing use of modern technology such as digital platforms to create new ‘borderless’ spaces”, it stated in a news release.
By Barima Kwabena Yeboah|3news.com|Ghana
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