Accra is where it began: the first Global Peace Inter-Generational Dialogue, bringing together more than 500 delegates, from school students to government ministers.

The dialogue was launched on Monday, 6 May 2019, by H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of Ghana and Co-Chair of the Group of Eminent Advocates for the SDGs, and Mrs Graça Machel, Chair of the ACCORD Board of Trustees and of Global Peace.

Delegates came from across Ghanaian society: university and school students, traditional leaders, civil society organisations, government ministries and the diplomatic corps.

Hosting the dialogue fulfilled a commitment President Akufo-Addo made at the Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 in South Africa on 2 December 2018. Accra was the first in a series of dialogues that Global Peace is convening around the world.

Panelists

Student – Ms. Prisca Amponsah, Aburi Girls Senior High School
Youth Leader – Mr. Peter Kwasi Kodjie
Secretary General All-Africa Students Union (AASU)
Entrepreneur – Dr. Betty Simawua Annan, Country Director World Cocoa Foundation
Government Rep. – Hon. John Kumah, CEO National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Plan (NEIP)
Academia – Prof. Nathan Kobina Austin, Dean Office of Doctoral Programmes University of Professional Studies

Selected Outcomes

A key thematic raised consistently at the IGD was job security and the concern that students are ill-prepared to particpate in the economy. The need for entreperneurial learning to be incorporated into curriculums, greater ownership and support from the private sector and a change in economic and education models were raised as solutions.

The role of multilateralism and institutions in building a tolerant global society was reiterated. However panelists did not limit the role to that of government institutions; they highlighted the potential of sports to bring people together and the important role of edcational institutions in shaping tolerance and shared values during the formative stages of young people and children.

The potential for technology and online learning to bridge the skills and devevlopment gap was highlighted. Online platforms were also outlined as a resource to secure financial support for education. However, Internet access (or lack thereof) was framed as a barrier to participation. While the potential of technology to impact on development is boundless, this potential can only be realised if Internet services are made more accessible.

139 guests at the IGD completed the MY World Survey. 69,78% of participants stated that “Goal 4: Quality Education” was an immediate concern to them and their families.

Why Accra?

Ghana was one of the first countries in Africa to be liberated from colonialism and one of the first in Sub-Saharan Africa to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of halving extreme poverty.

President Nana Akufo-Addo is the current Co-Chair of the Group of Eminent Advocates for the SDGs. Through Global Peace’s partnership with the SDG Action Campaign we are promoting the MY World Survey.

The dialogue served to commemorate the legacy of the late former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and the contribution that Ghana itself has made in promoting leadership on the African continent and in the global community.

The Mpatapo Knot which serves as the logo of Global Peace is an Ancient Adinkra symbol of Ghanaian origin.