Nyusi and Momade celebrate two different Africas – A Verdade

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Nyusi and Momade celebrate two different Africas – A Verdade

2:21 CAT | 26 May 2020

Picture: A Verdade

On the 57th anniversary of the creation of the Organization of African Unity, predecessor of the African Union, President Filipe Nyusi proclaimed: “We must challenge and trust young people for the rapid and balanced development of the continent.”

By contrast, the leader of opposition party Renamo, Ossufo Momade, recalled “that most of the leaders and liberating movements and forerunners of independence became the new oppressors of their own people, despots and dictators”.

“Agenda 2063 was designed recognising that African countries are still struggling with problems of hunger, inequality and violence against women and children, crimes such as terrorism, maritime piracy and other evils that must be eradicated. The most expressive democratic dividend we have in Africa to face today’s challenges is the youth. We must challenge and trust young people with the rapid and balanced development of the continent,” the Mozambican president began by declaring.

Speaking in Maputo, President Nyusi said that “today, looking towards the horizon, we nurture the certainty that there is capacity, strength and will to build as a continent the dream of our ancestors for a free, strong, cohesive, prosperous and peaceful Africa”.

“We rejoice at celebrating Africa Day this year at a time when some emblematic projects of Agenda 2063 are being implemented, especially the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area, that will drive industrialisation and economic transformation. This exercise is also boosting the single African air transport market, in order to accelerate trade between African nations and make trade more efficient and a vector for growth and sustainable development,” the Mozambican head of state said.

The president of Renamo this Monday (25) recalled that “our Africa, the so-called Cradle of Humankind, has freed itself from the scourges practiced by foreigners. It appears however that, sadly, most of the leaders and liberating movements and forerunners of independence have become the new oppressors of their own people; despots and dictators”.

“Many of our countries have been independent for fifty years or are moving towards this milestone, as are we (Mozambicans). However, after this time, in many of our countries, far from seeing a continent in full development, social harmony and accepting plural coexistence, we are witnessing flagrant violations of human rights, denial of democratic values, poor management of public affairs, bad governance, the absence of efficient health and education systems, problematic access to basic goods and services such as drinking water, energy, decent transport and other material and spiritual conditions that provide for the well-being of citizens,” Ossufo Momade said.

The leader of Mozambique’s largest opposition party declared that: “African leaders today are called upon to choose sectoral governance philosophies and policies that will catapult our economies and allow a more democratised Africa. Many African countries have abundant mineral, marine, wildlife and forest resources, but even so are not yet developed, and have reached the chaotic situation of living on less than a dollar a day while rubies, diamonds, oil, gas, mineral coal and other ores serve to satisfy the interests of their leaders.”

“In sum, this resource spring is not used to end poverty, the absolute poverty in our nations. Instead, thousands of African citizens prefer, with all attendant risks, to go to other continents in the illegal immigration that often ends in death, as we have seen in the crossing of the Mediterranean Sea. On the other hand, Africa continues to see its children dying in their own countries from simple malaria, tuberculosis, meningitis, Ebola, malnutrition and other diseases,” Momade concluded.

Source: A Verdade