Africa Day –African leaders express optimism for the Africa we want – The Maravi Post

The governor, board, management and staff of the African Development Bank Group meeting in Ghana’s capital devoted much of their annual meetings this week to celebrating Africa Day on Wednesday.

African countries and institutions observe Africa Day on 25 May annually to celebrate the founding of the then-Organization of African Unity—today the African Union—in 1963. The Bank Group held a colorful ceremony during its ongoing annual meetings to commemorate Africa Day 2022.

Vincent Nemhiel, Secretary-General of the African Development Bank, conducted the ceremony and laid out the framework for the celebration. He informed that the bank is celebrating this day under the theme of African Union “The Africa We Want”. Nmehielle said that Africa must live up to the expectations of young Africans.

This year’s Africa Day comes at a time when the African continent is facing several challenges, including those arising from climate change such as floods and desertification; health, especially the COVID-19 pandemic and its disruptive effects; Security, with internal conflicts and, more recently, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the consequences of the ensuing war.

In the context of the many difficulties motivating young people to seek prosperity outside Africa, often at the risk of their own lives, the President of the African Development Bank urged young Africans to be proud of their continent and to live in Africa in its development. invited to invest. ,

Speaking directly to him Adesina said: “I would like to say that, like you, I was born on the right continent, this continent has 65% of the arable land on the planet, with rich soils and forests that play an important role. carbon in the world. You are the power of the continent, and the future lies in Africa! The African Development Bank is working on setting up an investment bank for youth employment. It will help youth to train, invest, create jobs for themselves and their will give more opportunities to achieve on the continent.

“The same goes for women, where the African Development Bank already released $450 million to women entrepreneurs in 2021. This year, we raised $500 for women under our Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative Million funding envelope approved.”

Mrs. Monique Nsanzabaganwa, Deputy Chair of the African Union Commission, emphasized that the year 2022 has been placed under the banner of Food Resilience under the theme “Strengthening Resilience in Nutrition and Food Security on the African Continent”.

Nsanzabaganwa said the main concerns of the continent should never be thrown into the background. He highlighted these concerns, rising prices, unconstitutional change, health, water and sanitation, and more. He commended the African Development Bank for supporting the implementation of the African Union’s Agenda 2063. He also thanked the Bank Group’s Board of Directors for the prompt approval of the financing of the Institutional Support Facility.

Burkina Faso’s Ambassador Pingrenoma Zagre, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Ghana, paid tribute to Ghana’s founding president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, and “the founders of the Organization of African Unity for their vision of development and progress”. He called for strengthening the African Continental Free Trade Area to enhance intra-African trade. Ambassador Zagre also expressed the hope that the African Development Bank will mobilize more resources to carry out its projects for the benefit of African countries.

Kenneth Ofori-Atta, Ghana’s Finance Minister and current Chairman of the Board of Governors of the African Development Bank Group, conveyed a message of optimism and called on African countries to be ambitious. “We have a young population and by 2050, Africans will be home to a quarter of the world’s population,” Tori-Atta said. He urged African countries to “build strong institutions for our own prosperity … and achieve our goals”. He included these institutions in the African Continental Free Trade Area, with its executive secretariat in Accra.

The Africa Day celebrations continued with artistic performances and other meaningful contributions from youth aged 9 to 30. He shared positive messages full of hope and optimism to all African youth.

Africa Day is customarily held on 25 May each year and marks the creation of the Organization for African Unity—now the African Union—in 1963. It is a day dedicated to celebrating the African continent and in particular to reflecting on solutions to the challenges of the continent’s development. This year’s celebration coincides with the 50th anniversary of the passing of Ghana’s first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
Source African Development Bank Group