For Africa to fully integrate and ensure its development, experts are calling for countries to look beyond signing charters and agreements and also look beyond the annual meetings of its leaders.
The way for Africa to move forward as a Continent and allow for the economic development of it’s countries and people is to enhance the sharing of knowledge, knowledge gathering processes and implementation strategies.
The Director of the West African Centre for Sustainable Rural Transformation (WAC-SRT) at the University for Development Studies, Tamale, Dr. Michael Ayamga shared these thoughts when he spoke at the closing ceremony of the WAC-SRT special summer school which was on the agenda “food systems and food security for Sustainable Rural transformation and development,” at Wa.
“An African collaboration cannot happen with the annual meeting of leaders. It can only happen if our knowledge systems and our processes of generating knowledge are shared. When the people are integrated, the nations will be integrated. If our students learn together, when they become leaders, they will live and work together,” he explained.
Dr. Ayamga was of the opinion that while the African continent could continue to partner foreign developmental or funding agencies, it must begin to put measures in place to financially champion it’s research and implementation processes.
“It took the DAAD and the German government, to begin and sustain this process and we are grateful to them for the collaboration. The lessons to our respective countries and universities are that beyond or with the DAAD, we should see the promotion of these collaborations as central to our existence and our development,” he said.
He said it was rather unfortunate that Africans find it easier traveling to European, American and Asian countries rather than traveling across Africa because of the numerous travel restrictions.
The Director of the WAC-SRT, UDS, Tamale, Dr. Ayamga charged students of the summer school to value African partnerships as that is the only sure way to address the many problems that face the continent.
He said Africans must create their own homegrown solutions to fix the litany of problems it is faced with.
Dr. Ayamga said there exists no bad blood between the UDS, Tamale and SDD-UBIDS, Wa.
He said despite SDD-UBIDS’ autonomy, and subsequent changes in designations at both institutions, UDS remains committed to seeing it’s sister school grow and flourish. He said this is being done through continuous partnerships.