Akufo-Addo: Enough Talking, Conferences And Workshops; Let’s Make Africa Work

The President of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Addo Dakwa Akufo-Addo has discerned the time to be right for Africa to become an industrialised and prosperous continent.

To him, it’s about time leaders of the continent walked their talks to make Africa a better place.

According to him, African leaders have attended enough conferences and workshops to implement what needs to be done.

He said this during the Closing Plenary of the African and Diasporan Young Leaders Forum held as part of the ongoing US-Africa Leaders’ Summit in Washington D.C. in the United States of America.

“Anyone, everybody in a position of leadership in Africa today thus has his or her work cut out. The urgent responsibility we face is to make our countries and our continent attractive for our peoples. To see the most places of opportunities, it means we must provide education- quality education and skills training- it means our young people must acquire skills that run modern economies”, he said.

Africa In The 21st Century
President Akufo-Addo pointed to the fact that the last half of the 20th Century witnessed a great blow to human progress and freedom when the African people liberated themselves from the colonial and imperialist yoke and the racist ideology of apartheid and emerged a free independent people to construct new nations of hope and advancement.

He, therefore, believes the first half of the 21st century should consolidate this development and see the growth of modern, prosperous and technologically advanced nations within Africa.

He added, “We’ve done enough talking and there I will say we’ve done enough conferences and workshops. We know what we need to do- this time just do it. We’ve run out of excuses for the state of our continent. We have the manpower. We should have the political will. It is time to make Africa work”.

Diaspora Africans Contribution
He stated that Africans in the diaspora also have a role to play in the development of Africa through investments using China as a yardstick.

“History tells us of the positive impact of diaspora communities in the growth and development of countries; to increase trade activities, rising investments and the transfer of skills and knowledge. Take the case of China for example, with an emigrate population of some 60 million, the Chinese diaspora are said to be the 25th largest country… own assets worth US$2.5 trillion.

“The foreign companies in the late 1970s reduced their investment in China. There was the Chinese diaspora that shore up the economy. According to the Washington D.C based Migration Policy Institute (MPI), half of the foreign direct investments, that is, some $26 billion that transformed China into a manufacturing powerhouse in the 1990s originated from the Chinese diaspora.”

He told the Diasporan Young Leaders there is a need for their perspectives and energies back in Africa and pointed out that Africa must be made the place for investment, progress and prosperity and not from where one flees “in the hope of a mirage of a better life in Europe, Asia or the Americas”.

Respect For Africa
President Akufo-Addo pointed out there is a need to change the narrative about Africa which concentrates on disease, hunger, poverty and illegal mass migration and smears the image of Africa among other continents

He is opposed to the demand for respect by Africa from the world, however, he believes Africa will earn the world’s respect if the continent adopts the strategy China used.

“I heard alot about the need to change our narrative and tell our own good story. Ladies and gentlemen as the saying goes “nothing succeeds like success”, if we work at it, if we stop being beggars and spend Africa’s money inside the continent, Africa will not need to ask for respect from anyone. We will get the respect we deserve.”

He added, “30 years ago, 20 years ago, China was nowhere near where it is today. China does not ask anyone for respect now. She does not need it. Let us make our continent the prosperous and joyful place it should be and the respect will follow”.

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini