JOHN MAHAMA’S DECISION TO GO TO THE ITLOS, ‘COURAGEOUS AND BOLD’ – DR DESMOND TWENEBOAH KODUA

one of the key characteristics of great leaders is the ability to make decisive decision at the right time. Careerists, are always reluctant to take any risks whatsoever and are only concerned for their own survival. I was one of the persons who vehemently opposed the decision to go to ITLOS and explicitly expressed my position and why i thought was a reckless decision in a document i prepared and forwarded to the Mahama administration and the former UN Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan.

I was of the opinion that the former President and his legal team had taken a wild uncalculated risk, putting the Ghana and its people at risk and was emphatic that the mission will not only end up unaccomplished, but was also going to waste valuable time and resources. We must commend the President and his team of advisors for effectively assessing the situation, understanding the issues and the problem and pursuing their goal and objective throughout the period leading to this sweet victory all Ghanaians are celebrating across the globe. We must also commend the former Attorney General, Mrs Marrietta Brew Appiah-Oppong and her legal team for filing a detailed memorial to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) to ward off Cote d’ivoire from the disputed oilfield. The current Attorney General also deserve our commendation for the maturity she displayed by pursuing what the matter upon taking over from her predecessor.

Mr Kofi Annan, the former UN Secretary General must also be commended for the numerous attempts he made to reach a deal on the dispute. Ghanaians across the globe are celebrating this wonderful achievement and the the patriotic spirit being displayed by the people of Ghana both home and broad, is a message to our leaders that they understand risk, know how to mitigate risk and be willing at times to make bold decisions to exploit success.

Long live Ghana!

Long live Africa

Dr. Desmond Tweneboah Kodua ( International Energy Agency, ( Agence internationale de l’e’nergie, France)