Africa cannot thrive if citizens are subjected to despotism - Fmr President Kufour

The former Head of State says the continent cannot thrive politically, socially, and economically if Africans are subjected to despotism.

Mr. Kufuor said any attempt by leaders in Africa to restrict the freedom of the citizenry will stifle progress in the region.

“Everybody is clamouring for identity. Everyone wants to be counted but we all matter. Some leaders think they will be there forever, but their ways are not the ways of the rapidly evolving world. Globalization is not going to be the realm of dictators. It is going to be the realm of human beings, and human beings will not accept to be held down.

Mr Kufuor advised African leaders to keep themselves abreast of geographical factors influencing international relations, in order to take advantage of rapid globalization.

 

For him, the era in which the western world manipulated and tapped into Africa’s resources is long gone and as such, bilateral relations should now be geared towards mutual benefit.

“Our leaders must be well versed in geopolitics. We talk about adversarial relationships between countries and at the same time [get] caught up in the globalization process. There is no escape route. The globe is now one market. Now all the countries with advanced technology are zooming into Africa, and we are living with all these forces who come in with the temptation of bribery and inducement. We shouldn’t accept that,” Kufour said.

In the case of Ghana, he said the pre-independence period saw the country being disadvantaged in the area of business because it had very little power or say in the ownership structure of companies but with the country being sovereign now, it can make laws to boost local content in foreign-owned companies.