Prof. Ransford Gyampo, Director of CES delivering His welcome remarks
The Centre for European Studies (CES) has held its Second Lecture Series for 2017 at the Kofi Drah Conference Hall of the Department of Political Science. The event, which was held in partnership with the German Embassy in Ghana, was under the theme, The European Union and Africa Union: A Comparative Study and Lessons for Africa Union.
In his welcome remarks, Professor Ransford Gyampo, Director of the Centre noted that the CES first lecture under the theme “Dealing with Basic Challenges of Elections in Ghana: Lessons from Europe.”, presented a platform for a thorough audit and discussion of Ghana’s 2016 Elections, noting, what went wrong and the lessons from it could be learnt from other electorally and democratically advanced nations in Europe.
The second lecture, he said, was also in line with the Centre’s core mandate of providing research and teaching in the area of European Studies. He described the theme for the event as appropriate in Africa’s quest for proper integration as a tool for development. He thanked Ambassador Christoph Retzlaff, the German Ambassador to Ghana, together with his team of indefatigable and unfaltering staff for their support in making the Second CES Lecture Series see the light of day. He used the occasion to call on all EU Member country representatives in Ghana to fully open their doors and partner the Centre in prosecuting its mandate. While applauding the support of the EU delegation in Ghana for CES activities, he called for increased collaboration and partnership between the Centre and other key stakeholders in promoting teaching and research in European Studies.
The Chairperson for the occasion, Professor Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, Director of the Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy (LECIAD), applauded the CES for its relentless efforts to promote research and teaching in the area of European Studies, since its inception in August 2016. She noted that the EU today serves as a powerful politico-economic union of close to thirty member states in Europe and has developed several initiatives and interventions that have strengthened itself as a powerful bloc in world politics. She argued that even though the AU seems to have been modeled along the lines of the EU, the two bodies appear asymmetrical. She expressed the hope that the lecture would be able to answer key questions bordering on the similarities and differences between the AU and EU as well as suggest thought-provoking policy recommendations that would strengthen the AU as a powerful bloc in Africa.
The German Ambassador who was also the Special Guest of Honour commended the Director of CES for his zeal and determination to promote European Studies and the Centre’s work among the representatives of the EU Member countries in Ghana and policy makers as a whole. He said the theme was relevant, and hoped that practical lessons for strengthening the Africa Union could be gleaned from the lecture and from the discussions that would ensue. He urged all participants to bring their rich experience, knowledge and perspectives to bear on discussions.
A Cross-Section of Participants
The lead researcher and presenter, Dr. Juliana Appiah, Research Fellow at the Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy, highlighted the similarities and differences between the EU and AU. She noted that even though the AU and EU share similar structures, there are practical challenges that undermine the potency and activities of the AU in serving as a powerful bloc in Africa. Among the major challenges confronting the AU include is its huge membership; lack of clear criteria for membership; the quest to integrate a plethora of issues at the same time; and lack of clearly defined sources of funding for its activities. She proffered a set of recommendations and lessons for the AU, among them, that the AU should begin to initiate standards and rules that have continental reach similar to what the EU has done. These standards, she said, can be in the fields of education, energy, transport and communication, environment, culture, tourism, etc. and the like.
Please click here to access Dr. Juliana Appiah’s presentation:
From L-R: Amb. William Hanna, Head of EU Delegation to Ghana; Dr Juliana Appiah, Lead Researcher and Research Fellow at LECIAD; Prof Ransford Gyampo, CES Director; Amb Christoph Retzlaff, German Ambassador to Ghana; Prof. Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, Chairperson and Director of LECIAD; and Amb. Giovanni Favilli, Italian Ambassador to Ghana
The lecture was attended by over 300 participants comprising students and faculty of the University, representatives of the European Union Member countries in Ghana, Africa Union Officials, Civil Society actors, policy makers, media practitioners and other key stakeholders/ opinion leaders.
