* Ex-Botswana president says leadership continent’s key problem
Chinedu Eze
Former Ghanaian President, Mr. John Mahama, has called for a better political order in Africa, where the citizens are made to choose their leaders in a transparent and efficient democratic process and where the political leadership is accountable to the people.
Mahama said efficient and transparent electoral process will eliminate the current political instability that has left the region under-developed and majority of the citizens subjected to endless penury bereft of hope and with uncertain future.
The former Ghanaian president made this known at the 2nd African Heritage Awards 2024 held in Lagos over the weekend by the Heritage Times magazine.
Mahama who was president of Ghana between 2012 and 2017, stated that for Africa to be reckoned with, its leaders and followers needed to think outside the box, tell its own stories and make good use of various social media available.
Mahama emphasised that Africa needed leaders with foresight, reasoning and long-term planning and not short-term planning in order to continue to exist and be productive; create strong economy and provide jobs for teeming youths on the continent.
The former Ghanaian leader also bemoaned the intra-Africa economic restriction unlike in Europe and other continents where there is trade liberalisation and effective cooperation.
He insisted that the visa barriers placed within Africa was doing a lot of damage to the continent’s economic growth and expansion and advocated its reversal in cognisance of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM).
“We must believe in ourselves as Africans. There is more money leaving Africa than coming in. All these grants and loans are moving out of the continent. We need to free African movement more than we are presently doing.
“ In the European Union (EU), you don’t need visa to enter any of the countries in Europe. In Africa, we don’t need to get visa to go anywhere within the continent. We must move two times faster than we are doing presently. We must be self-reliant as a continent,” he said.
Speaking in the same vein, former President of Botswana Dr. Seretse Khama, said that in order to groom the young that will propel the future of Africa and to provide opportunities amongst Africans, it was necessary to have good leadership and political stability on the continent.
He explained that as a politician, he knew that a lot of the continent’s challenges and instability were caused by some selfish politicians, insisting that those politicians who failed to put the interests and needs of their people first were a cause for backwardness on the continent.
He lamented that the absence of selflessness and quality leadership has resulted in power hungry and self-serving individuals taking control of leadership on the continent, reiterating that Africa required leaders who understood their roles was simply service to the people.
“While we will continue to preach peace, stability and good governance on the continent, the story of the ghetto kids should remind us that our circumstances should not deter us from the positive impact one can make.
“ I’m very much aware that some of the brilliant people we have in here have not had it easy as well, but have persevered to make a mark in their undertakings.
“Therefore, let me urge all of you to use your stories to inspire others and to ignite positive change. Social media has enabled many of us to be able to reach millions of people worldwide and therefore we have no excuse, but to spread our impactful stories. The media has for the longest time peddled only a negative narrative about the African continent and we all have a responsibility to change that.
“Last but not the least, let me thank the convener of these awards, Mr. Moses Siasia, his board and team for this wonderful initiative of recognising and awarding exceptional Africans. I believe your dream is to promote and recognise excellence amongst our people and to showcase this and the exceptional work they do in their respective fields,” he said.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Convener of the awards, Siasia, said that Africa needed to invest in the preservation and promotion of its cultural heritage by supporting initiatives that safeguard historical sites, protect endangered languages and revive traditional arts and crafts.
Siasia further canvassed for unity among the diverse people of Africa, stressing that the continent was home to over 1.3 billion people, belonging to thousands of ethnic groups and speaking over 2,000 languages.
He called for the rejection of politics of division and tribalism in Africa and urged for politics of principles of inclusivity and solidarity.
He added: “We must pursue progress with a sense of urgency and purpose. The world is changing at an unprecedented pace, driven by technological advancements, economic globalisation, and shifting geopolitical dynamics.
“As leaders of Africa, we must embrace these realities and adapt our policies and institutions accordingly. We must invest in education and skills training to equip our people for the jobs of the future. We must promote innovation and entrepreneurship to unleash the creative potential of our youth.”
Three awards were given out at the event. The awards were African Development Award for Advocacy and Social Justice given to African Rising Movement, African Humanitarian Award for Women Emancipation & Empowerment given to Dr. Jayne Onwumere, the Chief Executive Officer of Property World African Network (PWAN) and African Advancement Award for Exemplary Leadership given to Mahama, former President of Ghana.
