The National Security Ministry yesterday sensitised members of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) to the new National Security Strategy (NSS).
The NSS which was launched by President Nana Akufo-Addo in June this year was designed on the need to consolidate Ghana’s fragmented security policies into a single integrated and comprehensive policy framework capable of protecting not only the territorial integrity of the country, but also meeting the human security needs of the citizenry.
In his remarks, Minister for National Security, Mr Albert Kan Dapaah, said the security of a country is safeguarded when the economic needs of its citizens were guaranteed.
Marginalisation and social-economic inequality, he said, were some of the major drivers of instability which threatened the living standards and wellbeing of individuals in a state.
According to him, it was impossible for economic activities to be sustained without security and stability in the country, adding that there was a direct correlation between low standards of living and crime, where underprivileged persons resort to criminal activities to survive and in the process, create an unsafe environment for other citizens.
“This is why governments all over the world strive to create a society that prioritises the economic wellbeing of citizens and this is why the term economic security has become an essential component of human security and by extension, national security,” he added.
Touching on the activities of the TUC, the Minister stated that since the union’s establishment in 1945, the TUC had played crucial roles in protecting the rights of the country’s workforce, advocating higher wages, better conditions of service and securing the stability and security of jobs for its members.
This, Mr Dapaah said, signified the importance of the TUC towards the attainment of economic security for the masses.
He noted that efforts by his outfit to sensitise key stakeholders in the country on the new NSS without the inclusion of the TUC, would be untenable, assuring that the ministry remained committed to partnering with the TUC in its endeavours to create a safe and secure environment for trade and economic activities to thrive.
On his part, the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah, reiterated that high rate of unemployment had the tendency of provoking people to engage in criminals activities, adding that the government would continue to do its best to reduce the rate of joblessness in the country.
He stated that labour issues, if not handled properly could escalate and cause chaos, “this is something we want to avoid at all cost.”
On his part, General Secretary of the TUC, Dr Yaw Baah, mentioned that unemployment was a national security issue which needed to be addressed with all seriousness.
He expressed gratitude to the National Security Ministry for including the TUC in its sensitisation programmes, adding that the NSS was a very laudable initiative that was capable of averting chaos in the country.
“I am very glad we have been involved in this sensitisation on the NSS. Ghana is our country so we must all get involved in every act geared towards promoting the peace and development of the nation,” he added.
BY RAISSA SAMBOU
