‘Unite to propel development in Africa’
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ms Hanna Tetteh, has urged African countries to remove the barriers among them and unite to propel socio-economic development on the continent.
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She said it was not enough for African leaders to talk about African unity in abstraction without working as a united front towards attaining the mission and vision of their forefathers.
Ms Tetteh made the call at the 13th African Union (AU) prayer summit organised by Mission Africa Incorporated, in collaboration with the Parliament of Ghana, at the forecourt of Parliament House in Accra last Wednesday.
Attended by political, religious and traditional leaders, the prayer summit was held on the theme: "Peaceful elections and economic progress".
African struggle
Ms Tetteh said past African leaders fought against colonialism and apartheid, adding that it was heartwarming that current African leaders shared that idea, adding that they should demonstrate that by removing visa restrictions and facilitating the movement of people across the countries.
She stressed the need for Africans to see themselves as brothers and sisters with a common agenda and destiny, adding that it was through unity of purpose that Africa would have the strength to achieve its goals in the current competitive world.
She urged Africans to be proud of their human and material potential, saying: "We have to be proud of what we have."
Mission Africa Incorporated
The President of Mission Africa Incorporated, Dr Kodjoe Sumney, who led the prayers, said Africans would continue to suffer if their political independence was not supported by economic independence.
He said the mission of Ghana's founding father, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, and his compatriots, was to attain economic independence, in addition to political independence.
He said it was now the duty of political leaders to initiate measures to attain economic growth in Africa to save Africans from travelling abroad to seek greener pastures.
He urged religious leaders to support political leaders in the struggle for economic empowerment.
God's mission for Africa
Dr Sumney said God had a mission for every continent, including Africa, adding that the mission for Africa was for Africans to unite as one people, one continent with a focused solution.
He said unity should be demonstrated in Africa by using the same currency and passport.
He prayed to God to continue to bless Africa with peace, unity of purpose and development.