Acclaimed pan-African activists Professor P. L. O. Lumumba, Dr Arikana Chihombori-Quao, and Peter Obi have jointly rallied the youth in Ghana and Africa to remain resilient and “help build the Africa we want.”
The activists were billed to speak at the rally dubbed ‘The Convention 2024,’ which was called off at the last moment last Sunday (7 January).
‘The Convention 2024′ was organised by the New Africa Foundation, a self-funded non-governmental organisation (NGO).
At a hurriedly organised press conference, after the cancellation of the event, Dr Arikana, a medical doctor and former African Union Ambassador, told journalists that the Foundation had requested the speakers to be in Ghana to address African youth, starting with the youth in Ghana but was called off a few hours before the start of the programme.
“We understand that we have failed our youth, but we know that we have a responsibility to make things right and we do know that with the wisdom, energy and intelligence of our youth, together, we can take our Africa in a new direction,” Dr Arikana stated.
She said the speakers had come to deliver to the youth of Ghana and the rest of Africa a message of hope, a message of resilience and “the message that says the Africa we want can only be built by us for us and for us to succeed at doing so, we must be united.”
Professor PLO Lumumba said, “We came to Ghana to share a message of hope that Africa needs at this time and there is no better place to begin that message than Accra, Ghana.
“It is in Accra that Osageyefo Kwame Nkrumah, almost 67 years ago, spoke to the world and said the ‘Independence of Ghana is meaningless until it is linked with the independence of the African continent’”.
He said 67 years later, they were congregating in Accra in the very same place where the founding fathers of Ghana stood to make that statement but they were stopped bizarrely.
Professor PLO Lumumba, however, said, “The message will be served” as the journey of hope “continues with the youth.”
He said he believes elements are conspiring to distract them from achieving their goal but it is not “an occasion of lamentation but for redoubling our efforts.”
Professor PLO Lumumba, describing the event in Accra as “serependity,” added that “it heralds a great future for Africa.”
“Looking forward, a meeting such as this will happen not only here in Accra, but I am looking forward to it happening in Ouagadougou, Dakar, Nairobi and Johannesburg because this is about the African continent.
“We are saying this at a time when we have promised ourselves that Africa is going to be more intimate in our interaction. This is why the African Continental Free Trade Area is headquartered in Accra.”
Professor PLO Lumumba said Africans pay homage to Ghana because of what Nkrumah did and stood for.
On his part, Nigerian politician Peter Obi said, “Africa is suffering due to a lack of leadership. It is failed leadership over the years that has brought Africa where it is.”
“No continent in the world has the potential of Africa… it is home to lots of talents and natural resources. We have 65% of the world’s uncultivated arable land. Just imagine what we can do.
“We can feed the world and do everything. But ironically, because of failed leadership over the years, Africa is also home to the highest number of problems.”
He spoke about people living in abject poverty in the face of lots of natural resources, which he stressed cannot continue.
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