Mahama, Khama Urge African Leaders To Pursue Unity And Progress

Seretse Khama Ian Khama made this call at the Second Edition of the African Heritage Awards held at the Marriott Hotel Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria, in the wake of political instability that has wrecked parts of Africa, and has seen a number of countries relegated to military rule.Speaking during a strategic Panel Session themed: ‘Shaping Africa’s Path To Prosperity’, Mahama strongly noted that the youthful population of Africa is fast growing, thus, leaders must “move in a fast pace” to provide citizens with the dividends of democracy towards achieving self-reliance.Mahama who was honored with the African Advancement Award for Exemplary Leadership at the event, said African countries can foster international cooperation by removing certain encumbrances like Visa restrictions, which he said is slowing down economic prosperity across the continent.Recalling the pre-independence era, Dramani lamented that “Africa does not have the opportunities that advanced countries had in the past.

“Our founding fathers, Kwameh Nkrumah had wanted the African continent to come out of independence as one nation, but unfortunately, we lost that opportunity and became 54 different countries, flags, anthems and markets.

This has constituted trade tariffs and other barriers,” he added.He admitted that Africa is currently moving towards the right direction, adding that the laid out economic blueprints of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and other regional “trade schemes are steps in the right direction” that “will allow our people to have a market of about 1.3 billion people”.“There’s more money leaving the African continent than money coming in.

In Africa, we should not need a visa to travel from Ethiopia to Ghana,” he said.Similarly, former Botswana president who was Chairman of the prestigious event, regretted that despite the huge amount of human and natural resources domiciled in Africa, the continent has not transited into economic prosperity.

The media has for the longest time peddled only a negative narrative about the African continent and we all have a responsibility to change that,” he said.While expressing hope that the African Heritage Awards will continue to award and showcase the best that Africa has to offer, he said, “many of us do not know what our brothers and sisters are doing in their respective fields across the continent.

Let me therefore urge sponsors to get on board so that we grow the AfriHeritage Awards and African Excellence,” the former president assured.In his welcome address, Chief Host and Chairman of *Heritage Times HT*, Moses Siloko Siasia, posited that the solution of the world lies in the African continent.

“As leaders of Africa, we must embrace these realities and adapt our policies and institutions accordingly”.Siasia decried that the African heritage is under threat by the forces of globalization, “which seek to homogenize cultures and commodify traditions”.