Ghana marks Africa's Day

Ghana would mark the 39th anniversary of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) to be observed as "Africa's Day" under the new Africa Union (AU) on 25 May as a Statutory Public Holiday.

A statement signed on Wednesday for the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyeman named activities for the celebration as a flag-raising ceremony at the State House and prayers by the Christian and Muslim communities for the continent and its leaders for the success of the AU.

Others are a press conference on 24 May and drama and choral performances at the National Theatre. The statement said; "the Republic of Ghana is determine to work in tandem with all African countries towards the realisation of the attainment of the lofty objectives we have set for ourselves in the Constitutive Act of the African Union".

It said the occasion offered the opportunity to soberly reflect on the achievements and shortcomings of the OAU to serve as guidelines for future endeavours and also to reaffirm the commitment to the economic upliftment of the continent and her people through the AU. The statement recalled the commitment African leaders made in July 2000 when they approved and adopted the Constitutive Act of the AU to serve as the framework for accelerating the integration of the economies of African countries.

It said with the entry into force of the Act, the OAU was at present in a transitional phase within which member states were working towards the practical operationalising the Union, particularly with regards to the establishment of its institutions and structures.