TONY Blair called for a new aid partnership between Africa and the leading industrialised nations of the world yesterday as he visited Ghana, the latest stop on his four-day trip to the continent.
Aid should no longer be regarded as a "handout" but as a "hand up", Mr Blair told Ghana’s parliament.
"We need a fundamental shift in our approach to aid," he continued. "What we need is a comprehensive plan where on both sides we have obligations to help each other - on aid, on proper governance, on conflict resolution, on health, on education - on all the issues that go to make up a situation where the potential of Africa is not being used properly.
"This is something that’s in our interest to achieve. This should be done as a partnership between us - not aid as a handout, but aid as a hand up, to help people to help themselves."
The Prime Minister, whose speech was silenced for a moment when the microphones stopped working, also repeated his message that no nation could hope to isolate itself from world events.
"In this world today there is no such thing as a nation that can stand alone, shut off from the world. Today, we are all in this together," he said.
"If we had any doubts about it before 11 September, those doubts were removed then."
Mr Blair, who was enthusiastically received, insisted: "There are times in politics when ideas can make a difference ... This is such a time."
The Prime Minister also met local tribal chiefs and visited a cocoa-research institute and model plantation.
Earlier, Mr Blair called for a court of human rights for Africa.
TONY Blair called for a new aid partnership between Africa and the leading industrialised nations of the world yesterday as he visited Ghana, the latest stop on his four-day trip to the continent.
Aid should no longer be regarded as a "handout" but as a "hand up", Mr Blair told Ghana’s parliament.
"We need a fundamental shift in our approach to aid," he continued. "What we need is a comprehensive plan where on both sides we have obligations to help each other - on aid, on proper governance, on conflict resolution, on health, on education - on all the issues that go to make up a situation where the potential of Africa is not being used properly.
"This is something that’s in our interest to achieve. This should be done as a partnership between us - not aid as a handout, but aid as a hand up, to help people to help themselves."
The Prime Minister, whose speech was silenced for a moment when the microphones stopped working, also repeated his message that no nation could hope to isolate itself from world events.
"In this world today there is no such thing as a nation that can stand alone, shut off from the world. Today, we are all in this together," he said.
"If we had any doubts about it before 11 September, those doubts were removed then."
Mr Blair, who was enthusiastically received, insisted: "There are times in politics when ideas can make a difference ... This is such a time."
The Prime Minister also met local tribal chiefs and visited a cocoa-research institute and model plantation.
Earlier, Mr Blair called for a court of human rights for Africa.
