Senegal president Wade stops over in Accra

The presidents of Ghana and Senegal have pledged their commitment to co-operate towards improving their economies in order to consolidate the gains made in their democratic dispensations. They said this would serve as a beacon to other countries in the sub-region to allow democratic governance to take root.

These sentiments were expressed when President John Agyekum Kufuor conferred with President Abdulaye Wade of Senegal who stopped over in Accra on his way to Yaunde, Cameroon, to attend the Franco-African summit, which opens on Thursday.

President Wade said there is a wind of democratic change blowing across the continent, which must be embraced by all. "The changes in Ghana and Senegal are not artificial. These are the will of the people," he said. "These could not have happened to an incumbent who has the resources to remain in power unless the people wanted it. It will now be very difficult to steal victory from the people."

President Wade noted that the whole world is talking about democratic experiences in both countries, saying these experiences are indicative of the fact that Africans can change their governments through the ballot box. He expressed the hope that there would soon be peace in the Cassamance region of Senegal where there is a separatist movement with the adoption of a new constitution during a recent referendum.

President Kufuor welcomed co-operation between the two countries. "We should feel like one people and see the Franco-phone- Anglophone division as a temporary aberration by the Europeans."

President Kufuor said the experience of both countries shows that it is about time that Africans moved away from coups and any destabilising activity, and forged ahead to ensure democratic governance