Accra, Nov. 21,- President
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has stated that Africans should be utterly
concerned that the Continent looses, annually, more than $50 billion through
illicit financial outflows.
He said the revelation by a
report of the panel chaired by former South African President Thabi Mbeki on
Illicit Flow of Funds (IFFs), that between 2000 and 2008, some $252 billion,
representing 56.2 percent of the illicit
flow of funds from the continent, was from the extractive industries, including
mining, should give all Africans "cause for pause".
“No one is going to sort out
these matters for Africa, except Africans themselves," he said when
speaking at an event organised by the Royal Africa Society, Facebook and the
Ghana 60 years on Committee, on the theme “Africa Beyond Aid”, in the United
Kingdom on Tuesday.
"We need to have our own
bright and sharp lawyers to keep us abreast with the sharp and bright lawyers
that our trade partners have. We need to have our own bright and sharp
technologists to keep us abreast with our competitors,” he said.
With the vast majority of the
population being young, the President said it was in the interest of the whole
world that Africa works.
“Even if the developed world had
the means today, and were, indeed, minded to do so, it could not provide the
aid that would keep Africa a sustainable part of the world. We do not want to
remain the beggars of the world, we do not want to be dependent on charity,” he
said.
Thus, African leaders should do
everything possible they can to strengthen the African Union (AU), President
Akufo-Addo urged.
“With Africa’s population set to
reach some two billion people in 20 years time, an African Common Market
presents immense opportunities to bring prosperity to our continent with hard
work, enterprise, innovation and creativity.
"It is evident that the time
for African integration should be now. Hence, the importance of the success of
the Continental Free Trade Area,” he added.
It is for this reason that
President Akufo-Addo advocated for a new paradigm of leadership on the
continent.
The new African leaders, he said,
must be committed to governing their peoples according to the rule of law,
respect for individual liberties and human rights, and the principles of
democratic accountability; and must be determined to free their peoples from a
mindset of dependence, aid, charity and hand-outs, and must be bent on
mobilising Africa’s own immeasurable resources to resolve Africa’s problems.
“This new generation of African
leaders should help bring dignity and prosperity to our continent and its
longsuffering peoples,” the President said.
GNA
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