Senate
President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has identified regional
cooperation and partnership as the only solution to the myriad of
challenges facing the African continent.
Saraki, in a
statement by his Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Mohammed Isa, made
this known in a keynote address at the opening session of the on-going
Crans Montana Forum of Africa and South-South
Cooperation for Africa's Development, holding at Dakhla, Morocco.
He noted that,
"the contagious nature of poverty-driven social unrest would in effect
suggest that the challenges that we face must be viewed from a regional
perspective and the solutions located
in greater regional cooperation and partnership.
"The challenge
of cross-border crimes, the smuggling of small arms and light weapons
across our borders; or even the wave of terrorist activities provide
another compelling reason why effective cooperation
and partnership is almost a matter of life and death.
"The experience
we have had with Al-Qaida in the Maghreb (AQIM) in Mali and the Boko
Haram in Nigeria shows that security and stability of our countries can
only be guaranteed through a regional governance
system which would make it impossible for terrorists and criminals to
find a safe haven within any of our borders."
Many countries
in Africa, Saraki noted, have witnessed remarkable economic development
in recent years, adding that, "however, in the context of overall global
economy, this progress amounts to very
little or nothing."
"Africa’s share
of the global trade is only 2% and of this, only 11% is Africans trading
with themselves. We have to reverse this trend. Unless we do, African
success stories would continue to be
undermined by other serious challenges like poverty, youth
unemployment, high infrastructure deficit, and conflicts", he stated.
He identified
trust and genuine partnership as key factors in opening up the African
continent to African businesses and people, adding that "this is
why I must commend the King of Morocco for the recent bilateral
agreements with Nigeria in different areas, including the Bilateral Air
Services Agreement; Marine Fisheries Cooperation; Diplomatic and
Official Services Visa Exemption and many more.
"We
need to build on this and hope it makes it easier for people and
goods to move across our continent. We must strengthen relationships
among our parliamentarians, among our governments and among our
businessmen to share experiences and build mutually beneficial
partnerships. There
are very exciting models to build on. The Lagos to Tangiers highway
project; the Trans Sahara gas pipeline project, as well as the
Chinese-backed railway projects that would connect East African
countries are only a few of these", the Senate President stated.
He challenged
African leaders to put the need for regional socio-economic co-operation
as a key component of their development agenda because "without the demonstrable commitment
by African countries to think beyond their immediate borders, Africa will continue to remain junior partners, even in its relationship with other parts of the developing world. The
exploitation of our continent does not become more acceptable simply because it is done by another developing region rather than Europe or America. The strength of Africa’s cooperation
with the rest of the world, lies in the ability of Africa to cooperate with itself," he stated.
While
commenting on the recent Xenophobic attacks in South Africa which he
believes demonstrated the lack of co-operation and understanding among
Africans, Saraki
stated that "this alone must force us to
think again about what African integration and cooperation mean
to us."
"Do
we want an Africa where law abiding citizens of all our countries
should be able to move freely and partake in social and
economic opportunities in any part of the continent, from Cape Coast to
Cairo or Casablanca to Kinshasa? Or, do we want an Africa that is still largely insulated against itself, an Africa where Europeans
and Americans will feel even more welcomed in our countries than fellow Africans?," he queried.
He noted, however that for Africa to benefit from the demographic dividends
that a massive youth population offers, the leadership must make the right investments in quality higher education and create the right conditions and
opportunities for entrepreneurship and employment as no single country on the continent could do this alone.
He added that a large market was only useful when the people have the necessary purchasing power; and that a huge population
could only be an asset when it is productive.
Speaking
on his goal as President of the Nigerian Senate, Saraki said it was to
improve parliamentary collaboration across Africa and to improve
economic partnerships on
the continent by enacting laws that would promote trade in Africa and
make doing business in Nigeria safer and easier.
"I
believe that the kind of political leaders that can help our continent
in the 21st Century are those who are able to think in regional terms
and operate in a global context,
those who have the self-confidence to play in a team of leaders to find
a common solution to the common problems that confront our countries,
our continent and all of humanity", he said.
The Crans
Montana Forum which was well attended by top individuals from the
political, business and civil society leadership across Europe, Africa,
Middle East and North America addressed issues bordering
on economy, agriculture, environment, social and political
developments.
Other speakers at the opening session are Reverend Jess Jackson, Founder and President of Rainbow Push Coalition in the United States and Mr. Phillips Douste Blazy, an Assistant Secretary General at the United Nations, both of whom are Special Guests.
The guest speakers include Mr. Baldwin Lonsdale, President of Republic of Vanuatu, Mr. Rupiah Banda, former president of Zambia, Mr. Dioncounda Traore, former President of Mali, Mrs Freda Tuki Soriacomua, Minister for Women, Children and Family Affairs, Island of Solomon, Sheikha Hissah Al-Sabah, Chairman, Council of Arab Business Women, Kuwait and Mr. Mustapha Visse Lo, President of ECOWAS Parliament.
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