Africa needs well-trained negotiators to defend continent - Gbeho

A former diplomat, Ambassador James Victor Gbeho, has underscored the need for African countries to train a new crop of negotiators who will be able to defend the interests of the continent in the global arena.

He indicated that there was a general feeling of dissatisfaction among former diplomats and negotiators that African countries deserved better outcomes in many negotiations than they had received.

Mr Gbeho, who is the President of the Governing Council of Nyansapo College, made the call at the beginning of the academic year at the college, which offers training in diplomacy, at East Legon, Accra.

Significance

According to him, improving the skills of Ghanaian and people from other African countries had become necessary because it was felt that stunted growth of the continent was largely due to its inability to negotiate purposefully and efficiently with the developed countries.

For her part, the Vice-President of Nyansapo College, Dr Mary Chinery-Hesse, stated that “negotiators have, over the years, been mute for quite too long and it is now time for them to express their views and concerns on international relations and protocols”.

Training

The Vice-Rector of the college, who is a former Ambassador to Belgium and the European Union, Mrs Nana Bema Kumi, said the dream to establish the college began in March 2011 with short training programmes for African officials from notable international communities such as the African Union ( AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Other entities were the ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance, Trade and Industries and Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation.

She said for the past five years more than 600 officials had been trained at the Nyansapo College.

The institution, which is accredited by the National Accreditation Board (NAB), is affiliated to the University of Cape Coast.