Lusaka: Ghana's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has emphasized the need for Africa to focus on adding value to its natural resources, highlighting the importance of harnessing the continent's wealth to benefit its people and preserve African dignity and pride.
According to Ghana Web, Ablakwa made these remarks at a Ghana-Zambia Dialogue held in Lusaka, advocating for an end to Africa's role as merely a supplier of raw materials. He urged that the continent's resources should be used to uplift African people and project their dignity. Speaking to an audience that included Presidents Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia and John Dramani Mahama of Ghana, along with government officials, business leaders, FinTech executives, and members of the diplomatic corps, Ablakwa's comments were grounded in a Pan-African vision focused on history, identity, and economic cooperation.
Ablakwa highlighted the symbolic nature of President Mahama's preference for traditional Ghanaian attire, specifically the fugu, as a deliberate effort to reclaim African identity, culture, and dignity. He connected this cultural resurgence to the ideals of Ghana's first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, and Zambia's founding leader, Kenneth Kaunda, both of whom shared a vision of African unity and liberation. Ablakwa noted Ghana's early recognition of Zambia's independence in 1964 as a testament to the enduring ties between the two countries, advocating for these historical bonds to translate into stronger economic collaboration among African businesses and innovators.
He called on African FinTech companies and business leaders to foster intra-African trade, supporting logistics and transportation systems to facilitate the movement of African products and cultural goods across borders. Ablakwa pointed to the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), hosted by Ghana, as a significant opportunity to access a market of approximately 1.3 billion people with a combined GDP of over 1.4 trillion dollars.
Ablakwa appealed to businesses and stakeholders to act with trust, loyalty, and genuine Pan-Africanism, expressing confidence in the emergence of a 'new Africa' through such partnerships. He conveyed President Mahama's gratitude to the Zambian government for its hospitality and reaffirmed Ghana's commitment to strengthening relations with Zambia. Despite the potential for growth, he noted that intra-African trade remains below 20 per cent, citing UNCTAD figures, and described this as the lowest among global regions, expressing hope that forums like the Ghana-Zambia Business Forum would alter this trend.
The foreign affairs minister emphasized that both Presidents Mahama and Hichilema are focused on tangible results rather than ceremonies, aiming for dialogues that lead to industrialization, job creation, and improved living standards. He stressed that the ultimate objective is to ensure prosperity for African people, so that no child goes hungry and no young person risks their life migrating in search of opportunities elsewhere.