International relations expert Dr Vladimir Antwi-Danso says the current crop of African leaders have failed the Continent as far as regional integration is concerned.

“Most of them don’t even understand integration,” he said, adding that: “They protect their turf, they protect their positions. They are short termist, they are looking at the next elections and therefore they want to fix the home front first …but we must get a new crop of African leaders who understands integration,” Dr Antwi Danso told XYZ News in an interview after participating in a forum on regional integration.

According to him, African leaders are the current bane of the Continent.

“Most of them are corrupt. Most of them are sit-tight presidents. Most of them are profligate. They spend the money. Stash away monies in Swiss banks and other banks,” he bemoaned.

In his view, “integration is a sine qua non to Africa’s development” and therefore wondered why the Economic Community of West African Countries (ECOWAS), for example, still hasn’t properly integrated its economies and trade.

“ECOWAS is calling on our businessmen to take up the mantle of creating an Eco Air for example. We don’t have an Eco Air. And come to think of it, British Air, Virgin Atlantic, they fly here how many times a week? Which people do they take along? Is it not people of ECOWAS?”

Additionally, Dr Antwi Danso regretted that: “We don’t have an Eco-Marine. Between Lagos and Dakar, there is no passenger ship or cargo ship that carts away [cargo]. If you have cargo in Ghana and you want to send it to Lagos, you have to wait for some Chinese ship or Korean ship or Maersk. Is it not a shame?”