Former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku has charged African leaders to promote peace and stability across the continent.
Chief Anyaoku who made the call in his opening remarks at the 2023 Association of Foreign Relations Professionals of Nigeria (AFRPN) annual conference in Abuja, added that one of the three main challenges facing Africa after the struggle for independence is insecurity and instability in governance.
Speaking on the theme “Examining the Nexus between Foreign Policy Goals and Democratic Governance” Chief Anyaoku disclosed that the three main challenges facing African countries now that they have completed the historic struggle for independence and freedom are firstly to ensure peace and stability in the individual sovereign states.
According to the former Commonwealth scribe, “Secondly, African countries must pursue national development including effective collaboration amongst the African States, and thirdly, playing a commensurate role in global affairs by a continent that contains over 40 percent of the world’s crucial resources, thereby, restoring to the African people, to the black race the dignity and respect which were seriously undermined by the transatlantic slave trade.
“Thirdly, to eschew what I call the psychology of subservience to centers of power outside Africa. And they should focus on individually and collectively ascertaining Africa’s role in global affairs with the greatest confidence. Thereby ensuring what was vigorously put by President Ruto of Kenya, when he said that Africa must be at the table not on the menu of global dining,” he appealed.
Chief Anyaoku also appealed to African leaders to focus on asserting confidence individually and collectively in Africa’s role in global affairs.
“I, therefore, take this opportunity to call upon African leaders, first to ensure that the politics and the governance in their country are inclusive and should promote peace and stability.
Speaking on the recent military coup in the Niger Republic that toppled the democratic government, the former Commonwealth Secretary-General said whatever affects the Niger Republic affects Nigeria, thus the Nigerian government will do everything possible to ensure that democracy is restored.
On his part, a former President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, who delivered his lecture virtually, said the re-emergence of military coups in Africa emphasised the importance of the implementation of preventative policies of the African Union, as well as interventions to help ensure the popular legitimacy of democratic systems.
Mr. Mbeki emphasised that the conflict resolution process must include getting to the roots of every conflict to ensure that such conflict does not recur.
The former South African President said to address effectively the challenge of conflict in Africa, requires that leaders do not limit themselves to putting in place security arrangements on the basis of a wrong assumption that peace consists merely in the absence of war.
Mr. Mbeki called on African Union to expedite action and resolve the conflicts across the countries in the African continent for peace and development
“It is the obligation of the institutions of the African Union, such as the Peace and Security Council, that in their essential work, they ensure the primacy of the political and thus help to move more of our countries to the democratic order which is high among the objectives of the African Union.
“I have just tried to highlight what has been called ‘the primacy of the political’ in the solution of the conflicts on our Continent. This means that the process of conflict resolution must include getting to the roots of every conflict with a view to ensuring that such conflict does not recur.
“It is important that even as we engage this matter of development we do so in a way which ensures the involvement of democratic institutions, such as our elected legislatures, in the development processes,” he added.
In a goodwill message, the Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar called for constant engagement between retired and upcoming diplomats and also called for more inclusiveness of traditional leaders in governance.
Earlier in his welcome remarks, the President of AFRPN, Ambassador Gani Lawal explained that the Association which comprises of serving and retired Nigerian diplomats, has set for itself an objective of retooling and enhancing the capacity of its members through lectures mentoring and seminars.
“In accordance with the core mandate of our Association and its manifest belief in the tremendous power of manpower as the only factor of production that is capable of not only expanding itself but other factors of production through training and innovativeness, exposure to best practices through networking and lectures by erudite scholars and outstanding statesmen, two of whom we have among us today; the foreign service of Nigeria, scholars and practitioners in foreign relations, as well as the Nigerian government are sure to benefit from today’s lecture as a result of the uncommon exchanges and practical knowledge, which cannot be found in textbooks that will emanate from here today,” he said.
Ambassador Lawan said the association would continue to contribute towards enhancing the nation’s Foreign service to consolidate its objectives.
Dominica Nwabufo
