The Africa Bar Association has, at its 2023 Annual Conference of the African Bar Association in Pretoria, South Africa, conferred a Medal of Merit in Leadership Award on the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The Award, according to the President of the Association, Hannibal
Egbe Uwaifo, was conferred on President Akufo-Addo because he is “a pan
Africanist, Anti-Corruption Crusader, a rare democratic leader in the field of
good governance, a true African Statesman whose legacies present African
leaders must emulate, and we are minded to say will stand the test of time.”
Thanking the African Bar Association for the award, the
President stated that the legal profession has a rarefied position in African
societies, and lawyers are assured of a special status.
“In all our countries, it must be a source of pride for us
that lawyers were in the forefront of the fight for liberation from
colonialism. Indeed, since independence, lawyers have moved seamlessly between
politics and the legal profession,” he stated.
With Africa having been unable to translate all her abundant
natural advantages into building successful states, the President told the
gathering that the time is long overdue for Africa and Africans to define her
own narrative.
“We must be defined by what we see in ourselves, and not
what others choose to say about us. However, this cannot happen if we do not
trade amongst ourselves. Africa accounts for only three percent (3%) of global
trade, and intra-African trade is one of the lowest of any region globally,” he
said.
The President continued, “This is largely due to the
“colonial” economic model characterised by small individual economies,
fragmented and disconnected regional markets, over-reliance on the production
and export of primary commodities, and the presence of low productive
capacities, which have been in existence for the last century.”
The emergence of the African Continental Free Trade Area
(AfCFTA), in which trading began on 1st January 2021, and whose Secretariat
Ghana is privileged to host, President Akufo-Addo noted, represents a historic
opportunity for Africa to strengthen, immeasurably, intra-African trade as a
powerful avenue for developing Africa’s vast economic and material potential.
Describing the AfCFTA as a major gamechanger, the President
indicated that “once fully realised, we can increase intra-Africa trade by
thirty-five billion United States dollars (US$ 35 billion), and reduce external
imports by ten billion United States dollars (US$ 10 billion) yearly.”
This, he explained, “will mean more opportunities for growth
for our small businesses, and the potential to lift some thirty million (30
million) people out of extreme poverty. Additionally, a successful AfCFTA will
mean that Africa’s industrial exports will be diversified, thus moving away
from undue reliance on extractive commodities and foreign imports.”
He told the gathering that “the vision of our forebears who
fought the liberation of our continent from colonialism and imperialism, the
AfCFTA has set the stage for Africa’s industrialisation and transformation.
What is required now is for our respective Governments and businesses to show
bold leadership.”
source: APO
