By Stephen Asante
Accra, Sept. 02, GNA – The All-African Movement Assembly (AAMA), the largest assembly of Pan-African groups, activists, and human rights defenders, has advocated for the continent’s persistent efforts to achieve self-reliance.
The activists emphasized the need for the continent to shed the colonial politico-social and economic legacy, as well as the attitude that prevented its long-term prosperity.
“We need to critically look at the issues that bind us together as people with a common destiny for our own good,” Ms Samia Nkrumah, President of the Kwame Nkrumah Pan-African Center (KNAC), stated during the AAMA 2024 summit in Accra.
The three-day Assembly was on the theme, “Towards Pan-African Solidarity – United We Stand, Divided We Fall.” It was organised under the auspices of Africans Rising, a Pan-African movement.
It provided the platform for assessing the collective mandate of the people in the quest for peace, unity, justice and dignity among Africans.
Some of the topics discussed included protecting and expanding civic space in the digital age, climate, ecological and economic justice, African economic ownership and control, modern-day slavery and discrimination, and advancing gender justice and feminism.
The Assembly also deliberated extensively on specific actions toward reparative justice for Western atrocities committed during the trans-Atlantic slave trade, the free movement of Africans across the continent, and the establishment of democratic spaces.
A concept paper underpinning the Assembly made available to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), emphasized the rapid shrinkage of civic space, with an increasing crackdown on dissent, harassment, abductions, and killings of activists in several African countries.
Ms Nkrumah reiterated the need for collective dialogue and unified action for reforms as the continent continued to face recurring development challenges, which had recently generated mass protests by citizens in several countries.
She warned that unless there was political will, proactive measures and unity of purpose, the continent would continue to suffer from poverty, conflicts, increasing debts, unemployment, and corruption.
According to Ms Nkrumah, the daughter of Pan-African icon and Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the vision lit by the founding fathers of the African Union (AU) ought to be reignited.
She emphasised that the concept that the Africans had the ability and resources to ensure self-rule without necessarily depending on the Western world and donor agencies for survival was still relevant in contemporary times.
Ms Nkrumah said it was worrying that the continent had consistently exposed itself to exploitation and dictates by the Western world due to the inactions of the people, especially the leaders.
“How are we going to get out of this? We need to build our infrastructure, we need to build our industries, we need to change, transform the colonial structure of our economies,” she advised.
The KNAC President also called for the resourcing and strengthening of the African Defence Force to deal efficiently with the varied conflicts, including the mounting violent extremism and terrorism, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
Mr. Hardi Yakubu, the Movement Coordinator, Africans Rising, echoed the need for African leaders to give serious attention to assenting the Protocol on the Free Movement of People.
Ms Kim Poole, a Diasporan African and performing artist, appealed to the AU to expedite action to ensure a free visa entry for Diasporans visiting countries on the continent.
GNA