CPP salutes African Union

Accra, May 25, GNA - The Convention People's Party (CPP) has saluted African Governments for maintaining the unity since the formation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) now African Union (AU) in 1963.

Mr Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, CPP Presidential Nominee for Elections 2016 said the celebration of the African Union Day should offer countries the opportunity to take stock of the progress made in the attainment of the aims and objectives of the organisation as enshrined in the charter.

The OAU charter was signed by 32 Heads of State and Governments of Independent African countries on May 25, 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with the principal objective of liberating the continent from the dehumanising shackles of colonialism and promoting unity, solidarity, cohesion and cooperation among peoples of the continent.

He stated that in the age of globalisation, where labour, capital and production move across national borders with relative ease, often at the expense of poor countries like Ghana, it is important that Africa adopt policies that protect it against the harmful effects of globalisation while also taking advantage of its benefits.

The CPP Presidential Nominee in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the significance of commemorating the AU Day noted that Ghana should provide modern day leadership to turn the challenges of the new era into opportunities for achieving greater unity for continental economic co-operation and collaboration.

Mr Greenstreet therefore asked Ghanaians to continue to work solidly with fellow African countries. 'We must continue to provide the leadership role Ghana played on the continent's independence in the 1960s'.

The CPP Presidential Nominee cautioned African states to be mindful of the myriad of daunting problems confronting the continent, which include; armed conflicts, incursions of Boko Haram, refugees, the heavy debt burden and its concomitants of poverty, corruption, hunger, squalor and disease especially the HIV and AIDS pandemic.

Mr Greenstreets urged African leaders to have the political will to actualise the ideals of the continent's founding fathers, the thrust of which was peace, unity and progress.

He said: 'Africa is tired of wars, crimes, corruption and bad leadership. It is a sad reflection of what our founding fathers staked everything, including their lives, to achieve independence for Africa.

'They could not have imagined that wars would threaten the peace and unity of the continent in so short a time. Their vision for Africa was one of sovereign independent nations that would fashion their own destiny but civil strife has racked most parts of the continent.'

He expressed dissatisfaction about the lack of cultural cooperation, such as exchange programmes in television and radio broadcasts, including documentaries from which we can learn and share common experiences but rather the continent is bombarded with foreign cultural materials'.

'We remain mindful of the role played by many non-Ghanaian Diasporans, such as W. E. B. Dubois and George Padmore.

'As Pan-Africanists, CPP believe that Africans, no matter where they were born or live, share common problems and aspirations,' he noted.

Professor Edmund N. Delle, CPP National Chairman and Leader also told the GNA that what Africa needs currently is investment in human capital and infrastructure, building the economic institutions necessary for a well-functioning market economy and initiatives to increase technical capacities: "these cannot co-exist with wars".

'To achieve these noble objectives, mistrust between government and opposition must be removed,' he said.

Prof Delle noted that the world is changing and Africa must develop faster. 'Our leaders must resign themselves to finding solutions to the continent's problems'.

GNA