Africa Needs To Have Strong, Viable Institutions to Realizing Sustainable African Solutions to Continental Challenges

Africa needs to have strong and viable institutions, both for intra continental and global interactions with a view to realizing a sustainable African solutions to continental problems, Director General of Ethiopian Diaspora Service, Mohammed Indris said.

In his presentation paper of African Solutions for African Problems, intervention cases and consequences at the African Youth Summit being held in Addis Ababa, Mohammed said “we must have viable institutions for sustainable Africa solutions. All that matters is the institution.”

“African must use the human capital locally and abroad as a solution for African problems. But most importantly, Africa needs to have strong, viable institutions, both for intra continental and global interactions,” he stated.

If Africa didn’t have reliable institutions, we cannot have a reliable partnership among ourselves. We cannot have a global partnership with the rest of the world.

“African solutions will rely on sustainable and strong institutions.There are efforts and hopes now. But the African youth, who shoulder these responsibilities, will shape the next generation and the future of Africa,” he indicated.

On the other hand, the Director General elaborated that there are some arguments and skepticism about the concept of African solutions to African problems.

“… Whether the continent’s challenges are so distinct and completely unique or whether we have common problems with the rest; the answer for the importance of the African solution is very clear … yes, we do have unique features of the African continent that require unique responses, solutions  and interventions from the African themselves,” he stressed.

However, there are also similarities we share with the rest of the world, he said, adding “African solutions shouldn’t be seen as a slogan that only speaks to the utopian unity, that is not only ideological unity, but also it has a unified voice on all issues, and matters that African continents are passing.”

Therefore, he stressed that the concept of African solutions to African problems is devised to highlight fraternity, Global Partnership, a speedy and balanced growth and is not impossible undertaking.

He also mentioned about the challenges associated with the concept as the continent is part of the existing global system.

“But there are challenges when we say the African solutions to African problems. We are living in a globalized world. Africa is not an iceland. Africa is not an isolated continent. We are living in a globalized world. We are operating in a globalized economic and political system.”

The notion of African solutions is a kind of the concept of globalization operating locally for global issues, managing local problems that emanate from either local or global challenges.

Moreover, Mohammed elaborated that African solutions doesn’t mean  rejections of supports, whereas it is an idea of domesticating African solutions by African elites and adapted to suit the local condition of Africa.

“The African solution is not only a response to conflict, it is not only a response to colonialism, it is a response to our aspiration as Africans for a common destination as an Africans with a common past, a common injustice, a common challenge,” he stressed.

He noted that we do have peace and security council within the African Union and also within the regional bloc’s and we do have peace operation missions in Africa led by Africans. Nearly since 2000 more than 12 peacekeeping missions have been conducted by African peacekeeping missions.

Therefore, he underlined that the African youth, the new generation, both as a solution and the new spirit of Pan-Africanism, need to have this concept of African solution.

Noting the Africa Union also clearly understands and expresses how African youth are the future of Africa, he said, adding, “the African youth in the local, national and regional struggles need to have the sentiment of Pan Africanism and the sentiment of African solutions to African problems.”