Kwesi Pratt scolds African Presidents attending summit in France

Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr. has expressed disappointment in the African presidents who are currently attending a summit in France.

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, left Ghana on Sunday, May 16, 2021, for a nine (9) day official working visit to France, Belgium and South Africa.

These working visits are part of the president's efforts to re-engage with the world following the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic and further highlight Ghana's impressive business-friendly environment to the world.

In France, President Akufo-Addo attended a Summit on Financing African Economies hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, May 18.

The Summit brings together various African and European leaders and heads of international financial institutions to devise strategies for Africa's recovery.

Speaking on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' on Tuesday, Kwesi Pratt questioned the logic in organizing the summit in France.

He asked why the African leaders would leave Africa to attend a summit on COVID-19 in France, asking if there is no place in West Africa where they could have held the summit.

To Pratt, this sends a wrong signal, hence stressing Africa must wake up and stop neocolonialism.

"So, if there is an outbreak of COVID in West Africa and we want to discuss issues about it, we have to go to Paris. We couldn't organize it in Ghana, Lagos or Abuja unless we send it to Paris. Why? Emmanuel Macron is doing this because he knows what he wants. You know what, all the French-speaking African countries' foreign reserves are stored in the Central Bank of France to the extent that the French-speaking African countries save up their foreign reserves in France, go back for a loan and pay interest on it. This arrangement between us and the former colonial metropolis doesn't help West Africa," he said.