Diversify and modernise our security management - CJ

Accra, Aug. 6, GNA - The Chief Justice George Kingsley Acquah on Thursday called for the diversification and modernization in the management of security to take care of emerging challenges.

He said, "our inherent bureaucracies must give way to modern thinking because global terrorism has necessitated changes to managing security of nationals, and today terrorists have no clearly demarcated boundaries".

The Chief Justice said this to close a three-week course dubbed "Ghana Security Sector Governance and Management" held in Accra for more than 30 participants under the auspices of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC).

The participants were drawn from the National Security Council, Bureau of National Investigation, Ghana Journalists Association, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of The Interior, Ministry of Information; Ghana Police Service, Ghana Immigration Service, African Security Dialogue and Research and African Women Lawyers Association.

Chief Justice Acquah said Ghana was also exposed to the risk posed by the global threats so there was the need to prepare to modify the nation's security structures and agencies to address these.

"We must, however, remember that our real threat as a nation relates to poverty, disease and ignorance. Our strategies must, therefore, be aimed at achieving economic security, food security and political security.

"We need to build the capacity to be able to confront all the broad issues of national security of today and the future," he said.

Chief Justice Acquah said the democratic practice today had emboldened the citizenry to question violations of constitutional provisions and the abuse of fundamental human rights.

He urged the participants to establish workable networks between their organisations to facilitate responses and acceptable methods of operation instead of existing bureaucracies.

Major General Nii Carl Coleman, Commandant of the GAFCSC, said the desire to organise the course stemmed from the determination to achieve a more coordinated and integrated approach to national security issues.

He said the participants were taken through the value of consensus building and a coordinated approach to tackling policy issues, which had placed them in a better position to start the change management in the formulation and implementation processes as well as the transformation of the security sector.