LAGOS, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Ghanaian President John Kufuor, who has assumed the chairmanship of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, on Thursday officially opened the 6th ACP heads of state and government summit in the Ghanian capital Accra, according to the African Press Agency.

    The two-day summit is being attended by leaders from 79 ACP states and invited guests, and Lesotho is represented by Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili and the Minister of Trade Popane Lebesa.

    In his opening speech, Kufuor said it was a straight forward case that the ACP countries were determined to empower their peoples to take advantage of the ever-increasing opportunities which would help them to integrate meaningfully into the world systems and impact positively on their development.

    According to him, the ACP wants a better life for its entire people with "Promoting Human Security and Development" as theme of the summit.

    He added that human security and development should focus especially on the youth who should be nurtured into the mainstream of globalisation with competence and self-confidence, and further urged the summit and its partners to deliberate on education, health care, communications and other matters that impact on the orientation of people and societies for a balanced outlook.

    Omar Hassan El Bashir, President of Sudan and the outgoing chairman of the ACP, who chaired the 5th summit of ACP heads of state and government, said the recent past and present have seen volatile situations in the ACP and non-ACP states as a result of the escalating prices of basic food and oil, and the present global financial crisis.

    According to him, the recent floods, hurricanes and the ever-progressing desertification in sub-Saharan Africa all serve to remind ACP members how fragile their countries are, while climate change and the movement of people are two of the greatest challenges of the 21st century.

    He said stronger international cooperation and action are needed to address current development challenges.

    Meanwhile, John Kaputin, secretary general of the ACP group of states, said since the ACP population of 700 million was faced with various challenges that included the global financial crisis, oil price increases, escalation in food prices, hurricanes and droughts orchestrated by climate change.

    Formed in 1975, the ACP group now comprises 48 sub-Saharan African countries, 16 Caribbean and 15 Pacific states.