BY TEWODROS KASSA
No doubt, Africa has unique manifestations that attract the attention of everyone. It gives an extraordinary feeling to happen in the dense forests of Africa. The mountains and virgin soil of Africa give a razzmatazz while walking on foot.
The land of Africa is blessed with rich biodiversity and plentiful natural resources that can advance the continent’s development. The age-old cultural identities that are preserved and nurtured by proud Africans, forefathers/mothers, are also the other wondering scenario of the continent that attracts everyone. Africans are friendly people that enjoy their life with the well conserved nature.
Our great forefathers established the Organization of African Unity (OAU) on May, 25, 1963 in Addis Ababa by the core facilitation of the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I.
Therefore, all Africans celebrate African day every year on May 25 to commemorate the establishment and importance of the African unity. This year the 60th anniversary of the African Union (AU) and African Day was marked with numerous occasions in the premises of the Union.
The African Union Commission (AUC) announced that this 60th anniversary is being celebrated under the slogan: “Our Africa Our Future”. In its media advisory message, the commission urged all the media, be it continent’s and other media, to seize the opportunity in shaping the narrative about Africa, by telling the story about Africa by telling the story on the journey of the continent since May 25, 1963. More importantly, activities to mark the historical moment will be commemorated all over the African continent by the fifty-five (55) member countries of the AU. All AU Member States are expected, among other things, to showcase major successes, milestones, challenges, and way forward under Agenda 2063, the Commission stressed.
During the celebration of the day, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD) emphasized that it is time to realize Africa’s permanent seat at the United Nation Security Council (UNSC) to voice its concerns very well.
“We as Africans, accept the narrative about ourselves that has not been crafted by us. Therefore, in a bid to change the narrative, adequate representation and permanent seat at the United Nation Security Council (UNSC) and proportionate representation at the groups of G7 and G20 is necessary”, he said.
According to him, Africa is home to the fastest growing population that is expected to redouble itself by 2050. In an increasingly complex dynamic and fast changing global order, unity is no more a catch phrase, but a means of survival.
“The complex world that we found ourselves in today, the aspiration we carry as Africans, summon us to further accelerate our unified position,” the Premier stated.
“In a bid to see the Africa we want, we must continue unearthing the potential of our people and enable them to transform our continent,” he elaborated. He also stressed that Africans must mobilize the productive capacity of investment in agriculture, industry and technology. Fighting corruption, creating a conducive environment for local and international investments and improving the service delivery potential of our bureaucracies are all necessary steps.
On her part, Former African Union Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, who attended the celebration ceremony in Addis Ababa, told local media that the African Union has reached this stage by overcoming many challenges.
She said that Ethiopia has played a very critical role in the OAU-AU from the very beginning and it must continue to play that role. Ethiopia itself must be peaceful to help ensuring the peace of the continent.
She further elucidated that there are still many internal problems that continue to challenge the continent although Africa has many achievements to be proud of.
“We made progress in terms of decolonization. The challenges are now internal because we still see conflicts within countries. I think that is what we must now deal with. No country should be in conflict with itself. The AU must make sure that the guns are silenced,” she stated.
On the other hand, the continent is undertaking promising progresses in terms of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and implementation of other areas of the Agenda 2063, she underscored.
Moreover, Africa cannot succeed unless it industrializes; because manufacturing goods, building proper infrastructure and free movement among the countries are crucial. “We will be a consumer market for other people’s goods. We (however) must consume our goods. We must trade in our goods and sell to the world as well. I think that progress must be accelerated,” she added.
Current Chairperson of the AU and President of the Union of the Comoros Azali Assoumani stressed the need for exploiting human potential and huge natural resources in Africa and becoming one of the major economic powers in the world.
“Our continent has a lot of human potential and huge natural resources that will make the continent one of the major economic powers in the world. We have the capacity but also the obligation to put an end to the crisis of all types faced by the continent in order to facilitate endeavor to the socio-economic development of Africa,” he said.
What is more, she further said, celebrating African Day is not enough by itself. It is high time to cultivate Pan-Africanism and motivate the new African generation to widely engage in technologies. It is technology that leads the other continents’ population towards sustainable development. Utilizing technology and applying large-scale agricultural mechanization in the land of Africa is the major option to lift millions out of the quagmire of poverty. In doing so, it is possible to succeed in the happiness of the people and brighten the future of all Africans.
Happy African Day!
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SUNDAY EDITION 28 MAY 2023
