Prof Adedeji, Black cardiologists Call On President Kufuor

The High Level Panel set up by the African Union to examine the capacity of the organs of the union to deliver on the proposed continental union government yesterday submitted its report to the Chairman of the AU, President J. A. Kufuor, at the Castle, Osu.

The 200-page document, categorised into three main parts, among other things, dealt with the background to the demands for the unification of Africa and the capacity of existing organs of the AU to deliver efficiently.

Additionally, the document looked at how the process of the continental union government could be accelerated and also the institutions which could create the enabling environment for the realisation of the project.

It also dealt with the current requirements to prepare the grounds for the United States of Africa project to become a reality.

Presenting the report, Professor Adebayo Adedeji, chairman of the panel, said the committee did not recommend a deadline for the implementation of the continental union government but gave the various alternatives to achieve it.

He said the panel was of the view that the fastest approach should be used for the implementation of the project.
Professor Adedeji explained that the report was being presented to President Kufuor before copies would be distributed to members of the Executive Council and member countries of the AU ahead of the AU Summit in Addis Ababa early next year.

He said the panel collated views from a wide spectrum of Africans both on the continent and in the diaspora.
African leaders, at their meeting on union government held in Accra in July, 2007, agreed to conduct immediately an audit of the Executive Council, the AU Commission and the other organs of the AU.

Responding, President Kufuor commended the panel for the work done and tasked it to ensure the distribution of the document as quickly as possible before the next AU Summit early next year.

He expressed the hope that the fastest route recommended by the panel to African leaders for the attainment of the union government was also a responsible one.

In another development, a delegation of the Association of Black Cardiologists from the United States of America paid a courtesy call on the President at the Castle.

The association, established in 1974, is dedicated to eliminating the disparaties related to cardiovascular diseases in people of all races.

The President of the association, Dr Gerald DeVaughn, said every year the association selected a particular country for its educational programmes and that for this year the association chose Ghana because of its international reputation, to share the experiences of American doctors with their Ghanaian counterparts.

Welcoming the delegation to the Castle, President Kufuor commended the doctors for taking the initiative to share their experiences with Ghanaian doctors.

Story by Nehemia Owusu Achiaw