Immediate past UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, recently delivered the inaugural lecture of the Ghana Golden Jubilee Lecture Series. His lecture was titled: "Championing Africa's Renaissance: Peace, Development and Human Rights", and Mr. Annan stressed the necessity of those three factors to development on the continent. He deplored the reliance of many African countries on primary production, believing that it had made them "subjects to the whims of the market without having any say in its functioning". He also empathized with those Africans who believed they had been exploited continually, initially through colonialism and then subsequently by bad governance and an inequitable world order. According to Mr. Annan, the high percentage of the youth in Africa, urbanization and technological change were changing realities that demanded "more inclusive, more accountable and more responsive Governments, and leaders who are in tune with this new Africa and myriad complexities".
It will be interesting to observe Kofi Annan's post-retirement activities in Ghana. It is being whispered around that he is being courted as a presidential candidate, but I sincerely hope that he continues as he has began, utilizing the respect he commands to serve as an impartial voice exhorting good leadership and accountability not just in Ghana but on the whole continent.
Friday, January 26, 2007
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1 comment:
Kofin Annan is a very smart individual with a great deal of experience regarding world affairs. The three factors he stresses are clearly important ones, if not the most important, in order for Africa to achieve a better overall state. Good governance seems to be the solution according to everyone, including theorists and experienced diplomats. However, the question remains: why do bad and corrupt governments prevail in the continent? The leaders who are still destroying Africa don't seem to care about what the international community is asking of them. In order for problems to start being solved, the leaders responsible for perpetrating these problems need to be removed and held accountable for what they have done, and are continuing to do every day. These leaders have to be replaced by other ones who are suitable for a very difficult task, which can be as challenging as rebuilding a whole country.
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