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The former President of the Republic of Cape Verde, Mr Pedro Verona Rodrigues Pires, has observed that despite the numerous challenges facing Africa such as poverty and corruption, the struggle for liberation from colonialism is worth it.
He said after attaining liberation, Africa only needed strong states which were different from dictatorships and could take bold decisions on their own to be able to change the narrative.
Mr Rodrigues Pires, who said this at a press conference in Tamale yesterday on the sideline of the sixth edition of the Africa Leadership Lectures to be held at the Tamale Campus of the University for Development Studies (UDS), charged African states to reunite and have a single voice to be able to break through the challenges.
He said Africa had been framed as a deprived, dark continent dependent on foreign aid and support from the West which could only survive in the hands of the developed countries; and, therefore, there was the need for the younger generation of Africa to rise up above those petty frames and work hard to help change the narrative.
Regional economic communities
Mr Rodrigues Pires expressed worry that the various regional economic communities in Africa such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the East African Community (EAC), which were created purposely to promote trade on the regional borders, were not doing much in that regard.
He said there was the need for Africans to find the efficiency and results of the regional economic communities created and stated that the cost of trading within the regional borders should be reduced to help promote trading in Africa.
Africa Leadership Lectures
The Africa Leadership Lectures is an annual event introduced by the UDS in 2013 to focus on facilitating and creating an environment for a discourse on leadership, as well as providing a platform to inspire positive and innovative leadership.
This year’s edition will be delivered by Mr Pires, on topics such as vision of the struggle for liberation from colonialism, a vision of the construction of sovereign states, and African challenges from Monday, April 23, to Wednesday, April 25, 2018.
The Vice Chancellor of the University for Development Studies (UDS), Professor Gabriel Ayum Teye, said the annual Africa Leadership Lecture was a platform to help market the university to the outside world.
“After every lecture, we sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with an outside university to undertake various courses and projects which is very remarkable, “ he stated.
He hinted of the university’s plan to establish a learning centre which would champion the course of Africa leadership lectures.
