Accra, Feb. 23, GNA - Dr Vladimir Antwi Danso of the Legon Centre for International Affairs, on Monday commended Ghanaians for their maturity and ensuring a peaceful transition from one democratic government to another after the 2000 elections and urged the nation to build on it.

He said the successful transition greatly helped in reducing the post election apprehensions among the people. Dr Danso was speaking at an annual Peace Day Celebration organised by the Rotary Club of Accra-North. It was on the topic: "Peace in the West Africa sub-region."

The Day also forms part of activities commemorating this year's World Peace and Understanding.

Dr Danso reiterated the need for peace through good democratic governance in order to avoid the situation where some states in the sub-region plunged into political turmoil and civil strife after the demise of their monolithic political systems because there were no proper successions.

He cited Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia and Sierra Leone as countries whose people suffered political unrests after the end of their founding fathers, adding that for peace to prevail, the various governments in the sub-region should properly tackle their domestic politics, international trading system and the judicious use of their resources.

Dr Antwi Danso called for a fair international trade system to benefit developing countries and also tasked third world countries to go the extra mile to properly understand how these international systems work so that they could take advantage of them, rather than always complaining about its unfairness to their economies.

Among the dignitaries at the function were the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Peter Ala Adjetey and Mr Kwesi Abeasi, Chief Executive of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre.