Speaking at the 77th UN General Assembly meeting, he noted that terrorist activities have also had a debilitating effect on democracy in the sub-region.
All of Ghana’s direct neighbours have suffered terrorist attacks and have had to battle insurgents in the last decade.
“The terrorist pressure has provided a pretext for the unhappy reappearance of military rule in three of the 15 member ECOWAS Community,” the President said in his speech.
But he stressed that this is a trend “we are determined to reverse so that the ECOWAS space remains a democratic one.”
“We, in Ghana, know differently, we have watched in horror as the unrest has moved from the Sahel, inexorably, to the West African coastal countries.”
President Akufo-Addo also noted the strain this is having on the resources of countries in the sub-region.
“All of us in the region are being forced to spend huge amounts of money on security. This is money we should be spending on educating and giving skills to our young people,” he said.
“This is a global problem deserving the attention of the world community for a global solution.”
The General Debate of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly started on Tuesday, September 20 on the theme, ‘A watershed moment: Transformative solutions to interlocking challenges.’
Over 150 heads-of-state and government representatives are expected to deliver speeches at the assembly.