African Unity must become a reality - Zabarama Chiefs

The National Council of Zabarama Chiefs has stressed the need for African leaders to ensure that African Unity, propounded by Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of the republic of Ghana, became a reality.

The National Chairman of the Council of Chiefs, Chief Musah Yahaya Yandu, made the call during the Eight National Congress of the Zabarama communities in Bolgatanga on Sunday.

He said it was the colonial masters that divided Africa but Africans were the same and shared a common culture.

The Zabarama people, originally from Mali, are popularly called Gau and known for trading in onion, imported cloth and other fabrics.

Chief Yandu said the Zabarama Community had been in Ghana since the 17th century and had contributed enormously to the politico-socio-economic development of Ghana and yet were discriminated in all spheres.

He said Zabaramas were like the Kwahus of Ashanti and had opened a lot of businesses including financial institutions which employed a lot of Ghanaians.

“You can go to the Military archives and other sources and you will realise that we contributed to the military and the cocoa farms including the construction of railways”

He said despite the tremendous contributions they made to the country, they were still discriminated against when it came to acquisition of passports, elections and scholarships.

He proposed that to overcome the challenge and to pave way for peaceful coexistence and development, there was the need for African leaders to resolve to work assiduously to implement the concept of African Union proposed by the first President of Ghana.

He mentioned some successes chalked by the group to include educating its members to coexist with Ghanaians peacefully and empowerment of their youth through education.

He said over the years the group had lived peacefully and would continue to work towards contributing to the development of the country and entreated Ghanaians to see them as one family.