Africa commended for high political will

Cape Coast Dec.16, GNA- The First Speaker of Post Apartheid South Africa National Assembly, Dr Frene Noshir Ginwala, on Friday commended Africa for making progress in its political circles to enhance democracy on the continent.

She said the African Union (AU) has also made some significant progress over the years especially in conflict resolution and that the time had come for Africans to 93come together and speak with one voice=94.

Dr Ginwala was speaking on the second day of the sixth memorial lectures of the Late Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana, organized by the University of Cape Coast (UCC) in Cape Coast. The Kwame Nkrumah memorial lectures series was instituted by the UCC in 1974 and inaugurated in 1976 by the first chancellor of the UCC, Dr Archie Casely Hayford in memory of Dr Nkrumah who founded the UCC. The lectures were however stopped in 1993 due to the lack of funds and other logistics.

She said over the past years Africa and the AU had continued to make strides in promoting democracy and in conflict resolution and should be proud of that.

She however regretted that the continent has not been able to protect the people of the Darfur region, adding 93how long will we wait before we go to their aid=94.

Dr Ginwala who spoke on 93towards equal partnership in the world=94 said although Africa had made some gains in the political circles it was constrained when it came to economic development, stressing that many African countries still depended greatly on donor support for their annual budget needs, this she noted did not augur well for the development of the continent. She said the lack of assess to the international markets, high tariffs and taxes, still remained a major challenge in the continent and tasked African leaders to continue to negotiate and promote inter-market relationship among themselves.

Dr Ginwala pointed out that the progress and development of the continent could be effectively measured if its people especially women were encouraged to participant in the making and implementation of policies, adding 93that the number of international workshops, seminars, contacts, wealth and foreign trips of a nation's leader did not necessary make the nation developed.

She said a nation should only consider itself developed if its focus was on the progress, participation and involvement of the rural women in decision making.

The first speaker said Africa was still very rich in human and natural resources and urged its leaders to effectively manage the resources for the people not for their selfish interest. Dr Sam Jonah, Chancellor of the UCC, who presided, said there was no better time than now to honour the Late Dr Kwame Nkrumah when the nation was preparing for her 50th independence anniversary, which he struggled for.

He urged African leaders to learn lessons from the leadership of Dr Nkrumah, which was a leadership of selflessness, adding, Dr Nkrumah of yesterday was still more relevant than Nkrumah today He commended Dr Ginwala for her pioneering role in Pan-African movement and in the independence of South Africa. Reverend Professor Emmanuel Adow Obeng in his welcoming address also commended Dr Ginwala for accepting to share her knowledge with the UCC. 16 Dec 06