Ghana in Search of Regional Integration Agenda 16 in some countries within the West African sub-region have also contributed to the generation of the respect and recognition Ghana is enjoying, since her leadership role in the intervention efforts have been appreciable and very significant. In effect, the turn-around in Ghana's political fortunes coincided with the deteriorating political situation in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Cote d'Ivoire. Nevertheless, Ghana's willingness to help those countries could not be taken away from her. It was also in her interest to do everything possible to stop the conflicts in order to prevent the spill-over effects. Within the last three decades, Ghana has chalked many firsts in her political history. For the first time, a military leader turned civilian stood and won the right to govern through democratic elections. For the first time, a democratically elected president served the prescribed full term of office, a maximum of eight years of two successive 4- year terms handing over power in 2001, to a successor also elected through the ballot, another first. It is even more exciting to note that the successor was from the main opposition party. Following this first is the fact that the New Patriotic Party's administration under the leadership of J. A. Kufuor served the two four year successive terms through the democratic system of elections and handed over in January 2009 to a successor J. E. A. Mills representing the National Democratic Congress. This to a large extent demonstrates what can be argued as a stable political environment by African standards, an important pre-requisite for a successful regional integration campaign. 30 Another key ingredient in the success of Ghana's integration efforts is that, Ghana has generally enjoyed a comparatively stable political period that has translated into relative economic stability. This has increased her degree of influence on the continental scene. The influential role played by Ghana in the chaotic moments experienced in the three countries in the sub-region is primarily as a result of Ghana herself experiencing an appreciable degree of stability. Considering that the integration effort is spearheaded by the institutions set up for the purpose and the achievement of integration itself requires that the countries within the region need to be at peace, Ghana's direct role in the peace building efforts in the West African sub-region and beyond must be commended. Ghana significantly contributed men and other resources to the efforts at resolving the internal conflicts in Rwanda, Somalia, and Sudan. In recent times, She has taken the lead in the resolution of the Kenyan election crisis. This is apart from the major commitments to the resolution of the conflicts in the West African region. Ghana's leadership role in the regional integration process between 1966 and 1993 was not altogether inspiring due to the peculiar challenges that the leadership faced. Afterwards, President Rawlings served as the Chairman of the ECOWAS for two successive terms(1994-1996) and played a leading role in the resolution of the 30 Mzukisi Qobo, The challenges of regional integration in Africa in the context of globalization and the prospects of a United States of Africa. Occasional Paper 145, June 2007. The Institute for Security Studies. http://www.iss.co.za/