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Unisa SBL CEO chairs high-level symposium
Prof David Abdulai, CEO and Executive Director of the Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL), was invited by his Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Ashanti Hene, on the occasion of his 10 year ascendancy to the throne to chair a high-level symposium entitled "Deepening democracy in Africa". This auspicious event took place on 25 April 2009 at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana.
"A new 'wind of change' is blowing across the landscape of Africa. This new wind is bringing about the democratic transformation of the continent from Cape to Cairo, from Dakar to Dar es Salaam," Prof Abdulai said in his opening address at an event that boasted a panel including the former President of Botswana, Festus Mogae, former President of Sierra Leone, Ahmed Tejan-Kaba, former President of Nigeria, Olesugun Obasanjo, former President of Ghana, Jerry Rawlings, and the former Prime Minister of Spain, Jose Maria Aznar. Also in attendance were Ministers of State and members of the Diplomatic Corps, including the South African High Commissioner in Ghana, His Excellency Ntombizodwa Lallie.
Prof Abdulai continued by saying that for true democracy to take root in Africa, it must first be anchored on Africa’s rich traditional cultures and institutions. Furthermore, to deepen democracy in Africa, a culture of accountability is essential. Accountability affirms the obligation of leaders to those they lead. He further mentioned that the rule of law and an independent judiciary must exist to ensure that the spirit and letter of the law are enforced. He added: "It is not just sufficient to have an independent judiciary, but the judiciary must be honest and be above reproach. Where the judiciary is corrupt and incompetent, the entrenchment of a true democratic culture becomes a mockery and impossible."
According to Prof Abdulai, for a true democratic culture to be entrenched in Africa, there must be a credible opposition or credible opposition parties in African countries. He underscored that opposition parties should learn to agree to disagree and agree to agree on diverse issues without resorting to violence. Finally, he added that there must also be civil and political liberties in African countries to enable the entrenchment of a democratic culture. This will encourage popular participation and allow citizens to be able to express themselves without the fear of any repercussions.
In closing, he said that, ultimately, the entrenchment of a democratic culture in Africa is the responsibility of all Africans. Friends of Africa can help where they can, but the heavy lifting is the responsibility of Africans. |
