Reduce reliance on foreign aids, Buhari tells African countries

Bolaji Ogundele, Abuja

AFRICAN countries need to reduce their reliance on foreign aids in their peace and development efforts, President Muhammadu Buhari said on Wednesday.

A statement in Abuja by his Special Assistant (SA) on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, quoted the President as speaking in Aswan, Egypt, at the ongoing Aswan Forum for Sustainable Peace and Development in Africa.

He emphasised the need for the continent to devote more attention to ending violent conflicts, which he said are hampering growth of the continent.

President Buhari also emphasised the need for African states to give more attention to the development of their Transportation sector, saying the sector is critical to the continent’s economic resurgence.

To preserve its respect in the comity of nations, the Nigerian President said Africa must take its destiny in its own hands by minimising reliance on donor funding for the execution of its vital peace, security and development agenda.

He said: “Nigeria is not only host to our sub-regional body, ECOWAS, but has also been supporting substantially the ECOWAS budget up to about 60 per cent.

“Nigeria has been funding by almost a 100 per cent the operations of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) fighting Boko Haram terrorists in the Lake Chad Basin.”

President Buhari noted that the resolution of conflict situations in African countries remained a key component in the overall development of the continent.

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“As Africans, it is important to focus on the issues of conflict prevention and resolution. Conflicts have devastating effects on our societies and they militate against our progress. In this regard, the need to silence the guns cannot be overemphasised,” he said.  The President also emphasised that massive investment in transportation was necessary for African economic resurgence.

According to him, this will facilitate the African Free Trade Area Agreement recently signed by the continent’s leaders.  President Buhari added: “Africa should embark on the provision of transport connectivity by enhancing the development of roads, rail, and air links, which will ease the free movement of persons, goods and services within the continent. In this regard, we in Nigeria have already commenced an aggressive drive to upgrade our rail transport system and road networks across the country.