Africa must take charge of its development — Vice-President
The Vice-President, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, has challenged Africans to break the culture of dependency and take greater responsibility for the continent’s development.
She said the time had come for Africans to move beyond talking about “the Africa we want” and begin building “an Africa we work for.”
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said Africa had the human resources, expertise and natural resources needed to address many of its development challenges and could no longer afford to depend on others to do what Africans were capable of doing themselves.
She made the call in Kigali, Rwanda, during the African Mindset Reset Forum, where she took part in an in-depth discussion with Rwanda’s President, Paul Kagame; former Ethiopian Prime Minister and former South African President, Thabo Mbeki.
“We have to begin to believe in ourselves, our expertise and our institutions,” she said.
The Vice-President said Africa’s development challenges could not be blamed solely on a lack of policies, plans, resources or human capacity, but were also linked to the mindset with which Africans approached their problems.
She questioned who had, over the years, told Africa’s story and shaped global perceptions of what Africans could achieve.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang also challenged the argument that Africa lacked the experts needed to transform the continent, asking why African countries could not train their own engineers, scientists, doctors and other professionals.
She further questioned claims that African countries lacked the equipment and resources needed for development.
According to her, African countries needed to compare the cost of building their own capacity with the huge resources spent on supporting systems outside the continent.
She linked self-reliance to the ideals of Pan-Africanism, which she said were founded on the belief that Africans could unite, work together and solve their own problems.
The Vice-President called for a review of African education systems and curricula to equip young people not only with knowledge, but also with the confidence and practical skills needed to develop solutions to the continent’s challenges.
She said Africa’s large and youthful population could become a powerful engine of development if properly educated and given the opportunity to contribute to national and continental development.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang acknowledged the weaknesses of some African countries and institutions but said those challenges should not become excuses for abandoning efforts to develop the continent.
She urged Africans to strengthen their institutions and make better use of the skills, knowledge and resources available on the continent.
She said Africa’s future depended largely on Africans taking responsibility for shaping it.
The forum, held under the theme: ‘From Pan-Africanism to Meta-Africanism,’ brought together African leaders, policymakers, academics and business leaders to discuss new approaches to the continent’s development.
BY AGNES OPOKU SARPONG
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