Nkrumah and Nasser vindicated - Minister

Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development on Monday said the founding fathers of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) have been vindicated through the birth of the African Union.

He said it was now time for "our generation of African leaders and peoples to have the same passion and determination of the founding fathers to forge a strong union."

Mr Baah-Wiredu, who was speaking at the 49th Independence Anniversary celebration of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Accra, said the union must be capable of confronting the challenges of underdevelopment, conflicts, poverty and disease that afflict the continent.

The Minister said collaboration between the two past leaders of Ghana and Egypt - Dr Kwame Nkrumah and Gamel Addul Nasser respectively - served as a catalyst for the decolonisation process that gathered unprecedented momentum leading to the independence of several African countries.

Mr Baah-Wiredu lauded African leaders for their conviction at the recent OAU summit in Lusaka, Zambia, that the union should become a true community of peoples.

He said the commitment and resolution of the leaders and the emphasis on the principles of a common African identity, unity and solidarity were reminiscent of the tenacity of the founding fathers.

The minister stressed that the increasing globalisation of the world, characterised by economic revolution, advances in information and communication technology, made it a necessity for a unionisation of Africa.

"Any country or continent that fails to adapt, risks being marginalised by technological advancement. For this reason African countries who are already at a disadvantage by the prevailing inequitable international economic systems must redouble their efforts to strengthen co-operation."

Mr Moneim Talaat, Egyptian Ambassador said the two countries hosted and supported African liberation movements and actively contributed in shaping and accelerating changes in the international arena.

He said arrangements were far advanced to exchange missions to promote economic and business transactions to revive bilateral trade.

Mr Talaat said Egypt would share with Ghana its experiences in the tourism industry and co-operate with her in the fields of energy, oil, gas and communications.