AFRICA UNION SUMMIT: Samia touts economic reforms

ETHIOPIA: PRESIDENT Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan has stated that complementing political liberation with economic transformation in African countries is important for the continent’s future to be secured.

The Head of State made the statement on Sunday during the unveiling of the statue of Tanzania’s founding father, the late Julius Nyerere, at the African Union (AU) office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, calling on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement to play a critical role in ensuring the prosperity and dignity of the African people.

The ceremony took place on the sidelines of the 37th African Union Summit of Heads of State and Government, organised to discuss peace and security, education and skills policies for more than one billion citizens of the member countries.

The meeting also honoured Nyerere’s contribution to the Liberation of the Southern African Countries and his promotion of peace and security in Africa.

“It is my hope that Mwalimu Julius Nyerere’s memory will inspire present and future generations to light their own torches in pursuit of hope, love and dignity where there is none,” President Samia said.

Dr Samia said that Mwalimu Nyerere’s statue is to recognise his contribution to African liberation, unity and peace and manifests pride in Africa’s rich heritage. In a related development, the Head of State extended her gratitude to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) for undertaking the project and the AU for providing a place for Nyerere’s statue, alongside other great African colossal statesmen including Haile Selassie and Kwame Nkrumah.

Elaborating, she quoted Nyerere’s words during the country’s Independence Day, saying: “We have led the independence torch to place it at the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro to shine within and outside our borders to bring hope where there is despair, love where there is hatred, and dignity where there is contempt.

” She said that like Nkrumah, Mwalimu’s vision and devotion to a free and peaceful Africa were unmatched; to him, Africa’s well-being came first before popular approval, personal fortune, or the country’s well-being. “This is evident even in our national anthem, where our first prayer of prosperity is to mother Africa and then to Tanzania,” President Samia noted.

Adding, Dr Samia said that Mwalimu was a founder of AU and mobilised Tanzanians in support of liberation movements across the continent, even after leaving office, Mwalimu’s support for Africa’s efforts including peace remained unwavering.

“If we are to live in Africa, we must know that our unity and prosperity lie in our numbers. We must know none of us can have permanent prosperity without a prosperous Africa,” she added.

Speaking earlier, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat said that Mwalimu played a pioneering role in the establishment of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963, a milestone event in the pursuit of African Unity.

“In 1963 Mwalimu said and I quote, ‘our continent is one and we are all Africans. This organisation symbolises our determination to move forward together,’” Mr Mahamat said.

Mr Mahamat said that Nyerere’s commitment to African Unity went beyond national boundaries and national interest.

Nyerere said in the Tanzanian parliament in 1970 that “We must stand by our brothers fighting for freedom in South Africa… Their struggle is our struggle and their victory is our victory,” Mr Mahamat quoted Mwalimu Nyerere.

According to AU Commission Chairperson, under Nyerere’s leadership, Tanzania became a sanctuary for liberation movements across the continent.

“Dar es Salam was not only a safe haven for African liberation movements, but also for the Palestine Liberation Organisation and the Latin American countries… A teacher, but also a peacemaker,” he said.

He also said that Mwalimu played a key role as a mediator in African conflicts, particularly the crisis in Burundi, and he remains a wise statesman who gave counsel and advice selflessly to AU until the end of his life.

President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema, who is also the Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, expressed his appreciation to those who initiated the early ideas to erect the statue in remembering one of the icons and founders of SADC.

Mr Hichilema said that Nyerere was a dedicated freedom fighter who worked with the Presidents really to do the work that they did to enable Africans today to sit as presidents and prime ministers of their countries.

“We want to also thank the SADC Secretariat for the work they have done working with the family, working with the Tanzanian government, and other stakeholders to make this possible,” he said.

SADC Executive Secretary, Mr Elias Magosi, said that the statue is a tribute to Nyerere, a visionary and inspiration of African revolution, advocate and freedom fighter across Africa. He said that the statue should be a reminder to the current and future generations of a leader who taught Africans to guard peace and security and fight for freedom in a selfless manner.