President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo arrived in Accra on Wednesday after attending the 28th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Governments of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
He was accompanied by the Foreign Affairs Minister, Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchway and some senior government officials.
The 2017 meeting, which was on the theme: “Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investments in the Youth,” focused on investing in the development of and harnessing the youthful human capital of the Continents to accelerate (Africa’s) development.
The meeting highlighted the need for structural and legal reforms that would strengthen the continental body to make it have the desired impact on the global sphere.
The summit agreed on Continental free trade to ensure significant intra-Africa trade for growth and sustainable development. The Assembly also took the decision to finance its operations from its own resources, thereby weaning itself off foreign dependence and charity.
President Akufo-Addo, who gave the closing address at the meeting, asked African leaders to leave better legacies than their forebears, saying: “our generation must be at the measure of Africa’s history.”
He urged his colleague Heads of State to be genuinely interested and committed to the integration process of the African continent, stressing that until the challenges facing the continental body were addressed honestly, the proposed reforms would not make the desired impact.
The President was welcomed at the airport by the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the Chief of Staff; Mrs Akosua Frema Osei Opare and her Deputy Abu Jinapor, the Ministers of Defence, Interior and National Security, the Acting Chief of Defence Staff and the Acting Inspector General of Police.
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The summit took place on the 30th and 31st of January, and was preceded by a meeting of the Executive Council, which started on Friday January 27.
The summit was on the theme: “Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investment in the Youth.”
Source; Flag staff House
