The International Relations and Diplomacy Network (IRDN) Ghana, on Saturday, November 30, 2024, organized a grand dinner at the University of Ghana Simulation Centre to wrap up the year.
The dinner night served as the grand finale of a series of activities focused on the relevance of democracy in Ghana. These activities included a lecture by Professor Lord Mawuko-Yevugah on International Democracy Day 2024 about “Sustaining Electoral Democracy in Ghana: Opportunities & Challenges.” The network also partnered Happy 98.9FM’s socio-political show, Epa Hoa Daben, to educate the public about peaceful elections, as well as champion a widespread broadcast of peace pledges by all members of IRDN Ghana.
The event which was themed, ‘Uniting for Democracy: A commitment to peaceful election’ saw a number of high profile personalities and diplomats arrive to engage in talks that center on how to maintain Ghana’s peace particularly ahead of the 2024 general elections.
President of IRDN Ghana, Eunice Dede Tornyi, delivered a well-structured projection of the network’s achievements throughout the year in a warm welcome address to attendees, which featured the inauguration of IRDN Ghana by Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin in 2023, followed by an interim appointment in January 2024 of a management committee regarding affairs of the network ’s leadership.
The background accompanied with detailed video presentations gave sufficient credence to the night’s prominence, capturing all achievements and progress of IRDN Ghana so far.
Guest of Honour at the year-end gathering, Ambassador of the State of Israel to Ghana, Liberia and Sierra-Leone, H.E Roey Gilad, explained that Ghana and Israel bear a number of similarities that cannot be ignored. He explained that the Ghana separation of branches is a similar path towed by Israel as a fundamental pillar of democracy.
The ambassador speaking on Israel’s victory amid unrest over the past year between Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the Hamas in Gaza touted the uncompromised unity of Israeli people as the key to their victory. He advocated for peace in Ghana and pushed for unity among Ghanaians to be one of the many similarities shared between Ghana and Israel.
“We’ve managed to stand up together against our enemies and to prove again that our secret weapon since 1948 is the unity of our people; the unity that inspires and tells us that even when we have our differences we know that eventually the best way to iron those differences is through democratic means.”
Founder of the international network, Professor Lord Mawuko-Yevugah, attested to the resilience of IRDN Ghana, especially as an advocate for peaceful living and stability in Ghana. “Here at IRDN Ghana we stand by our motto which is networks or friendships beyond borders, which implies that we want to find a space which can connect us to people who are into international relations and diplomacy beyond Ghana.” he shared. Prof. Mawuko-Yevugah believes that IRDN Ghana will set Ghana as a hub of diplomacy and international relations amid the many challenges around the globe.
Chairperson of the gathering, Amb. Novisi Aku Abaidoo shared similar sentiments with references made from her experiences as Ghana’s former ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg, the European Union and Benin.
Patrons of the prominent gathering were urged by Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa, Kojo Impraim (PhD) as keynote speaker, to intensify measures put in place to ensure peaceful co-existence in Ghana ahead of the 2024 elections, amid a rising number of inconsistencies in Ghana and across the West African sub region.
These issues which he described as potential threats to Ghana’s peace and democracy included the emergence of new forms authoritarianism across the West African sub region, the growing discontent of citizens about democracy in Ghana; the rising polarization, toxic narratives and growing information disorder and the need for information integrity, election integrity and peaceful elections.
International Relations and Diplomacy Network Ghana is a non-profit organization promoting diplomatic relations and fostering international cooperation. It is proud to be the pioneering network in Ghana, dedicated to fostering the strength of professional diversity and extensive cooperation to advance scholarship and influence global policies, initiatives, and development.
By: Kobina Baidoo
