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20.11.2014 Press Statement

AFCON 2015: THE AU AND CAF MUST BUILD CONSENSUS; AFRICA NEEDS ITS PEOPLE

By Africa Young Conservatives Dialogue
AFCON 2015: THE AU AND CAF MUST BUILD CONSENSUS; AFRICA NEEDS ITS PEOPLE
20.11.2014 LISTEN

The Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever (EHF) has since its eruption brought great trepidations particularly to the sub-region and our continent as a whole. Indeed the death toll so far is quite horrendous. The fear and panic it has generated among the people is disheartening and particularly when no medically proven epidemiological vaccine or solution had been found. The mode of spread or infection and localization is a great source of concern. Trained medical personnel and health experts had all come under the ravaging siege of the viral virus whereby they have lost their lives even inspite of the protective clothing used in the treatment process.

Currently, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have been worse hit amidst fear of the disease finding its way to other countries. Africa's situation is a pathetic one and this is because already, our health infrastructure is porous where access to healthcare delivery is nothing to write home about. The lives of Africa's people are precariously at great risk. In the circumstance forgone, the insistence to host the African Continental Championship (AFCON) by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) is disingenuous and a desperate move to put at risk the health of millions of Africans all ostensibly driven by profit or economic motives.

But wither the economic sense in this awful argumentation been put forth by the CAF? Can the proceeds and dividends to be accrued from the event be substantial enough to support the families whose love ones would have contracted the virus at the end of the fiesta? What is the medical prove that, the CAF is relying on as a proof of the safety of the lives of millions of spectators, event officials and even the membership of the representing teams.

Instructively, the CAF must reckon that sovereignty resides with the people and their voices hold sway over any interests-economic or otherwise!
Indeed, the African Union derives its authority from the people of Africa and much the same way as the CAF and this must not be lost on any FA and this includes the FIFA. On Joy FM a couple of days ago , our Ghanaian FA boss Kwasi Nyantakyi purportedly made a justification case for the events suggesting that when last the event got postponed, several billions of dollars eluded the continental organization and so it made sense not to allow that incidence to recur.

This argumentation is a baseless proposition and a flawed one at that. Are we putting the lives of our populations at risk for mere economic rationalization and in this case the youth of Africa who are ardent devotees and patrons of this sport? The youth of Africa are already plagued with innumerable problems of limited opportunities to exploit their God-given talents, poor access to health infrastructure, poor access to educational opportunities, severe economic circumstances and endemic poverty. The youth of Africa formed almost two-thirds of the continent's populations and the future of our nations rides on their backs; so it is important that any decision taken with bizarre repercussions on the youth in particular is given a second thought. We cannot afford to put the cart before the horse.

The Organization of African Unity (OAU) now metamorphosed as the African Union (AU) since its inception had a mandate to ensure the total welfare and wellbeing of the people of Africa and working relations in their best interests. In that engagement, it had had to grapple with myriads of problems in the socio-political arena and must spare itself yet another catastrophic move to endanger or put in disarray its inalienable duty to do good to its people and in this case their general health and safety. We must not get it twisted; the EBOLA spreads through body contacts, saliva and all fluids and secretions from one to another. Again poorly cooked bush meats amongst others are modes of infection. Undoubtedly, the entirety of the citizens who would be at the event including match officials, spectators and the teams would share some contacts such as handshaking gestures, eat some food somehow and all of these portend danger-objectively speaking. Given that it does not matter whether the venue is changed or not, we need to hasten slowly and be sure that the plaque abates before we proceed with this continental fiesta.

The TAYCD-GH wish to call on the AU chair, the chair of ECOWAS, the officials of CAF and FIFA including the heads of state across the continent and their local FAs to build consensus on the matter because, we put to jeopardy the future of Africa if we reneged on this solemn duty. In this competitive global village, the stakes are too high and no economic rationalization or exemplification justifies the imminently colossal collateral risk and danger the AFCON insistence poses to the people of Africa and particularly the large youth numbers in this instance who needlessly are the patrons and devotee spectators of the game.

AFRICA NEEDS ITS PEOPLE!!

Ernest Twum
Director of Policy & International Relations

Bernard Amanor-Wayo
Director of Research & Programme

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