Zimbabwean president says Africa's independence incomplete without full ownership of natural resources

Africa's freedom and political independence remain incomplete until the continent has total control of its rich natural resources, Zimbabwean President, Emmerson Mnangagwa said on Thursday.

"The epoch we are now at as Africa is the story of full ownership and utilisation of our endowments to modernise, industrialise and ultimately improve the lives of our people," Mnangagwa said.

He was speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Museum of African Liberation in the capital Harare, a project that seeks to document and preserve Africa's liberation war history.

"Through this continental project, let us put to rest the one-sided euro-centric narratives which have been perpetuated in the public space for too long.

"We are marching together bonded by the ideals of Pan-Africanism, Ubuntu and African renaissance, through the documentation, protection, preservation and promotion of our rich liberation history," Mnangagwa said.

The project is being spearheaded by the Institute of African Knowledge, a Pan-African Research organization, in conjunction with the Zimbabwean government.

The Museum has since received a major boost after China, Russia and UNESCO pledged their support for the historic project.

China pledged seed money towards the project and has since invited Zimbabwe to visit China to get Chinese experience on how projects of such magnitude are done.

Several African countries have declared their support towards the liberation museum project.

"The construction of this Museum is not to trap us in our past, but meant to ensure that we use our history to learn from the past and chart a better future for the next generations," Mnangagwa said.