Accra, Oct. 8, GNA - President John Evans Atta Mills on Saturday sai= d leaders of countries in the West African sub-region must team-up to flush out elements engaged in trans-border crimes.

Singling out Ghana and Nigeria, President Mills said leaders of the tw= o sister nations could dwell on their affinities to address trans-border crimes especially by Fulani herdsmen. President Mills made the suggestion at a special congregation of the

Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration in Accra, where visiting Nigerian President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was awarded an honorary doctorate in law. The ceremony was part of activities marking the 50th Anniversary celebration of the Institute.

It is on record that the criminal activities by some Fulani herdsmen had become a constant threat to towns and villages along which they moved their cattle for pasture, engaging in destruction of farms, farms products, stealing and raping women.

Also, there had been reported cases of highway robbery in roads and routes linking countries in the sub-region. Protocols of the Economic Community of West African States Commission provides for the free movement of goods and services and factors of production, but criminal elements pose a security threat and deprive the states of the expected benefits of the protocol. In reference to the success of the pushing of the Ghana and Nigeria fo= r the establishment of the ECOWAS Parliament, the ECOWAS Judiciary and the ECO, President Mills said the two nations could also spearhead the challeng= e to stem the activities of the Fulani herdsmen and other trans-border crimes= .. President Mills praised the Nigerian Leader on his astute leadership, and commended the Institute for grooming leaders into responsible positions= ..

The Ghanaian Leader stressed for visionary leadership in every sphere, and debunked the notion that leaders were born rather than made. He said good leaders were not always innate, but groomed and taught effective leadership to help advance government agenda, and called on peopl= e enhance their knowledge through constant education, self- renewal and acquire knowledge to cope with the rapid changes of modern times. President Mills pledged to collaborate with President Jonathan to enhance the knowledge of their people on the relevant ECOWAS Treaties and Protocols on regional integration.

He also pledged two million Ghana cedis toward the estimated $8.50 million ultra modern library project announced by the Rector of the Institute Professor Yaw Agyemang Badu.

More Politics Mills Jonathan 4 Accra In a statement, President Jonathan expressed his appreciation to the management of GIMPA for the honour done him. He underscored the need for political stability, devoid of conflict of wars to make room for an economy to thrive. He promised to work assiduously to advance the objectives of ECOWAS in promoting co-operation and integration in order to create an economic and monetary union for encouraging economic growth and development in West Africa. As part of Nigeria's contribution to the library project, Mr Abdul Samed Ahmed Chief Executive Officer of ANG Petrochemical Limited in Ghana and Nigeria on behalf of 15 companies pledged an amount of 1 million dollar= s towards the library project.

Professor Badu, the Rector said the Institute was established as a joint Ghana Government and United Nations Special Fund Project to train public servants with the requisite administrative and professional competence for national development. He said the Institute has now blossomed to become a comprehensive tertiary institution offering programmes leading to the award of certificates, and diploma, and undergraduate and graduate degrees in governance, leadership, management, public and business administration. Professor Badu said the programmes offered at the Institute are highly acclaimed and recognised locally and globally and cited a recent publicatio= n in the Times Newspaper of London which identified GIMPA Business School as one of the best MBA schools offering first-rate business education in Sub-Saharan Africa.