President moves against foreign interference

From Edmund Mingle, Ottawa, Canada.
President John Evans Atta Mills has initiated a campaign against foreign interference in African affairs, calling for a more united Africa to wade of such interference which is adversely affecting the continent.
The increasing trend of interference by foreign super powers in Africa, he said, has increasingly become detrimental to the progress of the continent, indicating that Africans need to be bold in stopping the trend.
“We must take bold steps forward to be able to break away from the influence and frequent intrusion of those super powers,” he told members of the African Diplomatic Corps in Canada, during an interaction with them in Ottawa on Friday, as part of his official visit to Canada.
Deploring the foreign intrusion which he said has rather worsened situations in Africa because the developed countries always pursued their interest instead of the interest of Africa, he blamed the situation on Africa because it is not united.
“Some countries still believe our countries in Africa should dance to their tunes. Unfortunately some of us also find it very difficult to break the umbilical cords that link us to those countries. But we must take bold steps forward to be able to do this.
“We as African leaders have to sit down to find out what we have done wrong,” he said, reminding the continent that “if you allow others to dictate to you and you allow others to take your destiny in their hands, you will have no control over how they will direct you.”
According to President Mills, who recently called the bluff of the British Prime Minister to withhold aid to nations that don’t approve of homosexuality, insisting that Britain can’t dictate to Ghana, said the cause of disunity in Africa was that over the years African nations have pursued different agenda, “and have tended to look at problems facing us as problems facing individual nations rather that the continent.”
“We should owe allegiance to only Africa and not to any other power or super power,” he said, stressing the is need for Africa to be united
In his view, the commonality of interest among African nations, should make the continent strongly united, reminding African leaders that do the outside forces would always pursued their own interests.
“What is happening in Africa is not pleasant and palatable and something that we can be proud of. Now it not even a matter of they talking to us, but they are directing us in a way that will suit their interests and not ours,” he stressed.
Citing the Libya crisis as an example of foreign interference, he noted that “there are developments on the continent where others outside have decided what to do in other parts of Africa.”
The answer in addressing the situation, he said, lied in African leaders coming together to forge ahead.
“The way forward is for all of us to get together and talk to one another,” he noted African nations have for far too long listened to others outside.
According to him, many African nations have fallen victims to the machination of the outside forces, citing the situation in Libya in which the western powers disrespected the African Union’s decision to resolve the crisis amicably, and rather used violence to oust the government.
“We felt that as a Union that there should be cease fire because negotiations were ongoing for the two sides to come together to have the crisis resolved, but regrettably, that stance was ignored,” he stated.
“If anything happens in Libya, are they going to come to the AU for advice to solve it?” he asked, saying “this is not the best.”
He called for more interaction and peer review among African nations and their leaders citing the African Peer Review Mechanism, as very helpful in correcting negative situations on the continent.
“We don’t want a situation where outside powers would come and do peer review for us, because they do not understand our situation,” he said, explaining that in such situations where outside powers does peer review, based on their interest, the situation rather worsens.
As Africans, he said “we have our own ideals and unique characteristics, and however much others may love us, they can never understand the African psyche.”
The President was however glad that “Africa is waking up from a long sleep,” indicating that many of the continent’s leaders have recognized the need for a paradigm shift in leadership.
Expressing worry about the state of the continent, President Mills noted that there was no justification for Africa to remain poor in spite of her abundant resources.
Ironically, he said other nations who are held out as prosperous, have continuously benefited from Africans resources, whilst Africa rather keep matching backwards.
He reminded his colleague leaders ensure the growth of democracy in their countries for enhanced good governance, indicating that once they have chosen the path of democracy, “you have to be bound by the rules that govern democracy.”
The President urged the Ambassadors and others around leaders African leaders to present the truth to them to so that leaders get the true picture of situations so as to take the appropriate measures in the interest of their people.
The ambassadors in their response were full of praise for the President, describing him as a transformation leader.
“We are proud to have such a visionary leader, and we need more of your kind in Africa for the growth of the continent,” said Juliette Bonkoungou, Dean of the African Diplomat Corps in Canada, and Ambassador of Burkina Faso to Canada.
END