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Governments should avoid policies of social
exclusion-President Kufuor
Accra, Jan 14, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor has
called for the fashioning out of a new partnership between
Africa and its development partners, which should be based
on co-operation, mutual respect and a sense of common
humanity.
"What Africa seeks in this Century is a new partnership to
overcome the development gap that has widened over these
many years of unequal relations. We are not asking for
further entrenchment of dependency through aid or token
concessions."
President Kufuor was speaking at the closing ceremony of the
two-day "German-African Partnership Forum", he co-Chaired
with German President Horst Kohler, at the Kofi Annan
International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Accra on
Sunday.
Four other African Heads of State, including President
Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, President Festus Mogae of
Botswana, Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, and
President Thomas Yayi Boni of Benin, together with Mr Alpha
Oumar Konare, Chairman of the African Union (AU) Commission
and Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, President of the ECOWAS
Commission, also attended.
The Forum, a brainchild of President Kohler, brought
together about 50 young leaders from Africa and Germany to
interact with high-ranking leaders in politics, research and
business.
It provided the opportunity for the youth to articulate
their anxieties on a wide rage of issues, especially on the
environment and natural habitat, education and employment,
conflict and violence and political participation in
society.
President Kufuor said the current "generation of Africans
are dye-in-the-wool optimists", confident and determined to
make all the necessary sacrifices to enable the continent to
pull through its difficulties and challenges.
"We have our eyes firmly fixed on the goal of our future
prosperity and will diligently pursue that goal."
He said the Region's only demands on its development
partners were debt cancellation, technical assistance to
expand its productive capacity, increased foreign direct
investment and access to the international markets through
the creation of a level playing field.
To help to end violence and armed conflicts in Africa,
President Kufuor said the challenge was for the Governments
to avoid policies of marginalization and social exclusion.
Additionally, they should ensure respect for human rights
and fair distribution of the national wealth.
Touching on political participation in society, he advised
the youth to be bold and step out into the fray to take
their rightful place in the political governance of their
countries.
GNA
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