By William Selmah, wselmah@gmail.com
Liberian President Weah is calling for immediate action to quell hostilities caused by insurgents and terrorists in all parts of Africa.
He said continuous attacks in some parts of West Africa including Mali “where troops from the Liberian army are serving under a multi-national peace-keeping force, need urgent attention.
Additionally, President Weah said “”the growing threats to Maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea, where pirate attacks are on the increase, gravely affects trade and commerce. We must adopt stringent measures to curtail this unacceptable situation.”
The Liberian leader was addressing a video conference of the 34th Ordinary Session of the Heads of States and Governments of the African Union convened from February 6-7, 2021.
President Weah used the occasion to reaffirm Liberia’s commitment to the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA) agreement, saying its ratification was now placed at the top of his legislative agenda for 2021.
Weah believes that once ratified, the ACFTA would become an even stronger tool for economic growth on the African Continent.
“Speaking to the issue of the Quota System, I cannot overstress the importance of its full utilization by all AU Member States. My delegation aligns itself with the proposal by the R10 Team, that the Quota System should take into consideration the principle of solidarity and payment of contributions. My delegation would like to state that this key component should not be the sole choice of the Commission, but should also be in conjunction with member states,” the President said.
At the same time, President Weah has said findings of the Forensic Audit Report of the organization were not encouraging. Though he never elaborated further, he said his delegation was hopeful that the right thing will ultimately be done.