African Liberation Week: Let’s eschew differences, give attention to continent’s progress – Activists
African Liberation Week, one of the biggest mobilisation campaigns for the continent’s development, has been launched in Accra, with activists calling on the leaders to give serious attention to Africa’s progress.
‘We cannot achieve anything meaningfully positive, if we do not bury our differences and persevere in overcoming our own development challenges.’ Mr. Hardi Yakubu, Movement Coordinator for Africans Rising, noted.
There was the need for the people to shelve personal interests as well as negative colonial legacies, and work together for an accelerated growth, he said.
Every year, Africans Rising, a Pan-African movement, mobilises thousands of people across the continent and the Diaspora under the banner of African Liberation Week, to highlight and address issues inhibiting prosperity of the continent.
These range from human rights, freedom of speech, adherence to democratic and good governance, free movement of people, climate change to Africa’s sustainable development.
The campaign is based on the premise that Africa has the potential, resources and capacity to manage its own affairs for the people’s wellbeing devoid of the lukewarm attitude to continental issues on the part of the people.
This year’s event, dubbed: ‘Borderless Africa,’ coincides with the commemoration of 60 years of the formation of the African Union (AU), formerly Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which espouses unity and solidarity of the respective states.
The Week (May 22-28) is designed to create awareness and rally the leaders to ratify the AU Protocol on the Free Movement of People and Goods, which is critical for successful implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement.
According to the World Bank, the agreement presents a major opportunity for African countries to bring 30 million people out of extreme poverty and to raise the incomes of 68 million others who live on less than US$5.50 per day.
With the implementation of AfCFTA, trade facilitation measures that cut red tape and simplify customs procedures would drive $292 billion of the $450 billion in potential income gains.
Implementing AfCFTA would help usher in the kinds of deep reforms necessary to enhance long-term growth in African countries, says the World Bank.
Mr. Yakubu described as unfortunate the foot-dragging approach adopted by some African states in ratifying and implementing the AU Protocol.
This, he said, called for an attitudinal change given the enormous prospects inherent in the objectives of the AfCFTA.
Last year, under the theme, ‘Africa for Africans,’ the African Liberation Week mobilisation engaged more than 500 actions across 46 countries in Africa and the diaspora.
Africans Rising is a global Pan-African movement of people and organisations working for unity, justice, peace and dignity.
Launched in 2017, the movement provides a space for progressive African civil society leaders and groups engaged in various civic struggles to convene, connect, collaborate, share knowledge and build solidarity among people and across issues.
Mr. Harrison Owusu, Resource Mobilisation Officer, Africans Rising, affirmed the movement’s resolve to engage stakeholders on a constant basis to discuss and address issues pertaining to the continent’s prosperity.
He said sub-themes regarding inequality, food insecurity, energy, climate change, among others, will be given due attention as the Week is celebrated.
The Week launch brought on board other organisations, including the Economic Fighters League and All-African People’s Revolutionary Party, who took turns to highlight the importance of African unity, cooperation and solidarity.
Source: Ghana News Agency