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African leaders urged to Pool resources to address challenges

Dr Kwame NkrumahUganda’s Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Major-General Kalinda Otafiire, has attributed Africa’s under-development to the lack of unity among its leaders and countries.

Speaking at public lecture in Accra on Saturday to mark the 104th birthday of Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Mr Otafiire, who is also the Chairman of the Worldwide Plan African Movement, said the reason the African Union (AU) had, since its establishment, not been successful in unifying the continent was "the individualism among the leaders".

The lecture, organised by the Socialist Forum of Ghana (SFG), with support from the Ministry of Information, attracted participants including government officials and diplomats.

 

Nkrumah’s vision

Mr Otafiire said the key to attaining Dr Nkrumah’s vision of uniting the people of Africa was for African leaders to pool their resources and address the challenges hindering the continent’s progress.

He said the hallmark of democracy was to promote economic and social fairness, do away with individual interests and address national concerns, adding that it was by so doing that “we deal with ignorance, poverty and disease that are destroying the continent”.

 

Unity

Mr Otafiire said for the continent to achieve unity, African leaders would have to draw up plans aimed at bringing together the people, with an accompanying timetable.

"It is only in unity that we can fully embrace our destiny and work to improve the conditions of the people of Africa,” he stressed.

He asked African leaders to remove all the artificial barriers separating the people as part of the effort towards social and economic transformation.

Earlier, in a welcoming address, the Minister of Communications, Dr Edward Omane Boamah, had called on African leaders to work towards regional integration.

He also appealed to civil society groups and non-governmental organisations to include in their objectives measures to unite the continent, stressing, “This will also address the challenges they face in bringing to fruition their projects.”

For his part, a member of the SFG, Mr Kwesi Pratt, commended the late President John Evans Atta Mills for institutionalising the founders day.

He, however, took a swipe at Parliament for “failing to put in place the necessary legislative instrument to make it a proper founder’s day".

He said Africans had failed to “practicalise the legacy of Dr Nkrumah”, a development which he noted had resulted in the poor management of the continent’s resources.

Mr Pratt said it was only by adopting the principles of Dr Nkrumah and adhering to his vision for Africa that "the continent can develop".

By Dominic Moses Awiah/Daily Graphic/Ghana

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