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President Kufuor calls for stronger UN-Africa partnership
Accra, April 21, Ghanadot/GNA – President
John Agyekum Kufuor on Monday called for a new partnership
deal on aid, trade, investment and technology between Africa
and its development partners.
This, he said, must be underpinned by a shared goal of
supporting African countries to secure financial assistance
for development and trade infrastructure, gain flexible and
differential treatment in trade agreements, attract
increased investment on conditions that promote growth of
domestic enterprises and secure access to appropriate
technology for industrialization.
President Kufuor was contributing to a high level panel
discussion on “Trade and Development for Africa’s
Prosperity: Action and Direction” at the on-going 12th
Session of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
in Accra.
More than 4,000 delegates made up of Heads of State, Trade
Ministers from 193-member countries and civil society groups
are attending.
President Kufuor said addressing the multiple development
challenges facing Africa also required ensuring a stronger
Africa-UN partnership.
Reinforcing and strengthening of relations between the
Region and the world body, he said, would enable the UN
system to increase and sustain the contribution it was
making to promote the development aspirations of Africa and
other developing countries.
Again there was an added advantage of helping them to
achieve the Millennium Development Goals by the set date of
2015.
President Kufuor further encouraged South-South Cooperation
to break the continuing North-South dependency development
paradigm.
The new development partnership must capitalize on the
growing South-South trade and economic integration process.
He said, in Africa this must start with regional integration
as the foundations for a continental union.
“From Sao Paulo to Accra, we must not miss the opportunity
to help bring about meaningful change in our time to make
the world a better place for the peoples we serve.”
GNA
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