President Diouf calls for end to wars in Africa

Accra (Greater Accra), 20th May '99 --

President Abdou Diouf of Senegal on Wednesday called on the international community to support mechanisms for conflict resolution in Africa to end the wars on the continent.

"All that Africa needs to develop is peace. We want to do away with the conflicts on the continent through strengthening the mechanisms for conflict resolution in the various sub-regions of the continent," President Diouf told a packed to capacity Presidential Plenary session of the Fifth African-African American Summit in Accra.

The week-long Summit, which started on Monday reached its climax on Wednesday, when 11 African Heads of States, a Monarch and over a dozen top government officials from the United States and other African States met to discuss the future of the Continent.

Under a broad theme "Business, Trade and Investment: Africa Can Compete" the biennial Summit has also recorded the highest number of over 4,000 participants from around the world with majority being African Americans.

President Diouf said the summit's objective of launching Africa into the 21st Century could only be realised on the basis of a strengthened partnership between Africa and African Americans.

"We believe that with your influence Africa will receive the needed attention it deserves in fostering a strong relationship with the rest of the world," President Diouf said.

To him, the way forward for the continent, which is saddled with huge debt overhang, high illiteracy rate and naked poverty, is integration and investments.

"Education, training and cancellation of 90 per cent of our (Africa) debt while the remaining 10 per cent should be converted into investment will be an impetus to propel us into the next millennium," President Diouf, who played host to the third Summit, told the audience.

Like his colleagues, President Diouf harped on the huge debt burden which he said; "was stifling growth".

Africa spends about a third of its annual income in servicing debt owed to rich developed nations and multilateral institutions.

Less than a quarter of what Africa pays to service debt is more than what the continent invests in education and health sectors.

Perhaps that is the reason for the commitment to debt cancellation and more investment flow into the continent has been the priority of African leaders.

President Konan Bedie of Cote d'Ivoire's, noted the positive changes the Summit has brought to Africa, and said "Africa is democratising politically and liberalising economically".

He said the eight-year history of the Summit has helped to shed some of the negative image held internationally about the continent and has also assisted to map out alternative avenues to Africa's socio-economic development.

President Bedie said 25 African countries have been able to hold free elections while the annual economic growth rate across the continent has increased from negative digits in the early 1990s to four per cent from 1995 to 1997.

These positive trends, he said, have been enhanced by President Bill Clinton's visit to the continent, adding that the visit has also increased Africa's potentials in the eyes of the world.

He paid tribute to the Rev Dr. Leon Sullivan saying through his Opportunities Industrialisation Centres (OICs) in parts of Africa the debt burden has reduced, more schools have been constructed while more teachers have been fielded in schools.

President Bedie said the Cote d'Ivoire OIC has established training institutions in the fields of livestock, technical vocation and an information technology centre, which in its eight-year history has trained 3,500 youth in computers, 3,200 of who are in employment.

Presidents Bedie and Diouf left Accra Wednesday evening for home.