‘African leaders are self-seeking’
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He said the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was dissolved into the African Union (AU) in 2002, had not done enough in the objectives it set out to achieve in 1963.
Speaking on the 50th anniversary of the AU on TV3’s weekend news analysis programme Headlines, Mr Afenyo-Markin cited conflicts on the continent as signs that the AU had failed in its mandate.
He said a continental body such as the European Union (EU) fought for member states to the extent that even if the United Nations (UN) took a varying decision, it still fought to see to the fruition of its objectives.
“We negotiate on individual basis,” he said of African leaders, adding that the building of the AU headquarters and Kwame Nkrumah’s statue in Addis Ababa through Chinese funds is an affront to the continent.
“Let’s get more serious,” he stressed. “If we get more serious we will see development.”
He advised leaders to move away from the “talk-shop” conferences and act.
MP for Nanton Constituency, Mohammed Ibrahim Murtala, who is also a Deputy Minister of Information and Media Relations, however, disagreed with Mr Afenyo-Markin by observing that the OAU/AU had done enough in the past five decades.
He said the establishment of a Pan-African Parliament was a signal that integration was being achieved, albeit through a process, he added.
May 25, 2013 marks exactly 50 years since the OAU was formed. Heads of the 54 nations as well as former leaders have met in Addis Ababa to mark the Golden Jubilee anniversary.