Africa should never experience poverty, according to President Akufo-Addo, considering the natural riches that abound on the continent.
Speaking on Thursday, January 25, 2024, at the second Africa Prosperity Dialogues in Peduase, Eastern region, President Akufo-Addo emphasised the abundance of resources found in Africa, including minerals, oil, gas, sunshine, and 65% of arable land that could feed nine billion people by 2030.
President Akufo-Addo continued, stating that he saw Africa’s youthful population and abundant resource base enabling it to become a global superpower.
President Akufo-Addo stressed the value of economic integration, bolstered by a private sector eager for economic collaboration, especially through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
He noted that the current focus on facilitating the free movement of people, goods, and services across the continent is essential for realizing the United Africa dream.
“We all know that Africa is blessed, Africa is not a poor continent, in fact, she is too rich to be poor. A continent that has every natural resource imaginable; oil, gas, minerals and an abundance of sunlight. We have some 65 per cent of all arable land available to feed 9 billion people globally by 2030 and our continent is filled with the most youthful population in the world –everything we need to transform Africa into a global powerhouse of the future,”
“I’m now encouraged that Africa now has a private sector that is ready, deliberate and eager to see that the 60-year-old dream of the United Africa manifests. The difference perhaps, of the then and today is that the focus is on an area where there can be no debate –economic integration.
“How we facilitate the free movement of people, goods and services across this vast and resourceful mass Africa is what we must devote our energies to.”