By Patrick Ofoe Nudzi
Accra, Feb. 24, GNA – Black people continue to show competence and excellence but the lack of good leadership has been their bane, Rev Reuben Kwasi Kwadzofio, Acting Director, W. E. B. Du Bois Memorial Centre, has said.
According to him, the ideals of freedom, progress and the development of the black race as espoused by Pan-Africanists like Dr Du Bois, Dr Kwame Nkrumah and Marcus Garvey were feasible and achievable but had been thwarted by “irresponsible leadership”.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency during a video show of Pan-Africanists who had contributed to the emancipation of the black race, Rev Kwadzofio reiterated that the statement: “The Blackman is capable of managing his own affair,” was still relevant, “but we must change our way of life in terms of leadership. It’s the leadership that fails us.”
The video show was part of activities by the Du Bois Centre to commemorate the celebration of the Black History Month.
The Acting Director said the African continent was rich in resources but had gradually become the poorest, leaving majority of its citizens, especially the youth, to despair.
“Look at Congo and with all their rich minerals, even Ghana which is drilling oil, how much do we gain and how much goes to the multinational organisation? ”
Rev Kwadzofio said Ghana needed to develop her capacities in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to spur industrialisation and development.
“If we have oil then we should have what it takes to drill oil but when multinational corporations take over then it confirms the economic colonisation the late Dr Kwame Nkrumah talked about,” he said.
The Acting Director said the continent could not continue to be fed by others, thus, calling for a paradigm shift in its food production approach.
He said Africa’s youth population kept increasing and that leaders on the continent needed to exhibit responsibility and commitment in managing the resources to create prosperity.
February is commemorated as Black History Month to reinforce the idea that the black race histories, realities, and future are interwoven.
For the past 53 years, the Month has been used to project the Black and African heritage and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
GNA