GHANA on Saturday joined its neighbours on the continent to mark African Union Day with a flag-raising ceremony held at the forecourt of the State House in Accra.

The day, which has been declared a continental holiday also marked the 39th anniversary of the founding of the union as well as celebrating the life and achievements of the union and the tremendous sacrifices of its founding fathers.

The Foreign Minister, Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, hoisted the flag of Ghana while the Dean of the African Diplomatic Corps, Mr Emmanuel Amon Tanoe, did that of the union.

The Foreign Minister and the Dean of the African Diplomatic Corps, earlier on arrival, inspected the guard of honour mounted by 66 men and four officers drawn from the southern command of the Ghana Armed Forces. It was under the command of Major Mohammed Mustapha.

Muslim and Christian prayers were said at the function. The ceremony was also attended by students from Accra Academy and Accra Girls Secondary School, members of the diplomatic corps and officials from the Foreign Affairs Ministry.

In his address, Mr Owusu-Agyeman called on Africans to re-affirm their support and commitment to the ideals and goals of the union.

He expressed the hope that with the sustained political will on the part of the leaders of the continent, Africans will join hands to make the union and its New Partnership for Africa?s Development (NEPAD) initiative a success.

Mr Owusu-Agyeman said NEPAD, contrary to some views, is an integral part of the African Union agenda which needs to be supported by all Africans.

He said Ghana is fully committed to the principles and objectives of the initiative because ?it is our belief that its implementation could bring tangible benefits to the totality of the African people.?

The Foreign Minister said ?it is significant that the initial number of 32 independent states that signed that charter of the OAU has now increased to 54 states.?

?These and other achievements of the union are unfortunately overshadowed by the internecine conflicts and the myriad of the socio-economic problems that all too often afflict our continent,? Mr Owusu-Agyeman said. He said the union on the other hand has achieved some success with the signing of the peace treaty between UNITA and the ruling MPLA of Angola and the successful elections in Sierra Leone adding that, ?these give us reason to be optimistic of the future?.

A message read on behalf of the Secretary-General of the African Union, Mr Amara Essy, by Mr Tanoe, called on Africans to be committed to the NEPAD initiative. He also called for an end to the numerous conflicts that have plagued the continent in a move to guarantee peace, tranquility and progress on the continent.

Mr Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General in another message recalled the success in the Sierra Leonian elections and added that Africans are also confronting the scourge of the HIV/AIDS pandemic with innovative programmes and campaigns of public education.

He said with the NEPAD initiative, Africans are also deepening the process of political and economic reform and building productive ties with each other and with the international community.