Africa needs prudent, decisive action for sustainable development - KK

Africa needs prudent, decisive action for sustainable development - KK
By Henry Sinyangwe
Sat 31 July 2010, 13:40 CAT

Malawian President Bingu Wa Mutharika (r) sharing a light moment with Dr Kaunda's former political advisor Mark Chona when he paid a courtesy call on Dr Kaunda (c) at his office in Lusaka's Kabulonga area on Friday. Picture by Collins Phiri

DR Kenneth Kaunda has observed that Africa needs prudent and decisive actions for it to attain sustainable economic and social development.

And visiting Malawian President Prof Bingu Wa Mutharika has said Africa must not wait for the West to come and tell it what to do because Africans must know their problems better and hence must provide solutions for themselves.

Speaking when President Wa Mutharika paid a courtesy call on him on Friday, Dr Kaunda said since the colonial era, Africa had been exporting its valuable raw materials to the outside world, helping the factories overseas to produce goods which it bought at exorbitant prices.

H e said the situation had a negative impact on Africa’s economies hence time had come for Africa to rethink its economic strategies.

“For many years now since the colonial era, we have exported to the outside world our valuable raw materials, which have helped the factories overseas to produce goods which we buy at exorbitant prices. We need to prioritize value addition so that we can be able to create wealth and jobs for our people,” Dr Kaunda said.

And Dr Kaunda said agriculture should be made the mainstay of the two country’s economies as it supported other industries which were critical to human survival.

He said he believed food should be considered as a human right so that no child or human being should suffer from hunger.

Dr Kaunda further said Africa’s efforts towards regional integrations through economic blocs such as the SADC, COMESA, and ECOWAS would help the continent enhance trade flows among its countries.

“At regional level, I believe that efforts towards regional integration should help us to enhance trade flows among us and beyond us. This is in keeping with the vision of the founding fathers who envisioned a continent of Africa where there would ultimately be free movement of goods services and people,” he said.

Dr Kaunda said there was need to address the issue of diseases such as Malaria, Tuberculosis and HIV and AIDS in order for the continent to successfully advance its economic agenda.

And President Wa Mutharika said there was need for co-operation for Africa to develop.

“We need to cooperate for us to be effective; otherwise our exercise will be in futility without cooperation. I believe Africa has a future, there is an Africa of disasters… but there is also an Africa of hope,” said President Wa Mutharika.