Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa late Friday called for an end to xenophobic attacks by Africans on fellow Africans as the continent searches for economic and political integration.
Ablakwa said while closing the just-ended three-day 3iAfrica Summit that “we cannot be talking about trading among ourselves, with economic and political integration, when we are not welcoming of one another, when we believe that other Africans pose a threat to us when they come to do business in our countries.”
“If it is the case that some guests are not following domestic laws, let law enforcement deal with them .Don’t take the law into your own hands. Don’t declare fellow Africans aliens in your country. Don’t be hostile to them. Don’t dehumanize them. Don’t assault them. Don’t attack them,” Ablakwa urged.
The Ghanaian foreign minister’s call came amid recent developments in South Africa, where local youth groups are protesting and allegedly molesting other Africans who are domiciled in that country.
The minister emphasized that the continent could not build that integrated African market that its founding fathers dreamt up if they could not ensure love and compassion for one another.
“We are saying Ghana must go, Nigeria must go: Go to where; Is this not our continent; Are we not one people; Are we not family; And after you drive out all those Africans from your country, are you sure that crime rates will be zero; Are you sure that the unemployment crisis in your country will immediately vanish?” he inquired.
He added that the issue of unemployment, which is the bane of all African countries, is not the culmination of the influx of foreigners, but leadership: ”Our solution is more integration; to come together, to love one another, to believe in our products, believe in innovation, form partnerships and work on economic emancipation for our continent.”
The minister disclosed that Ghana feels strongly about the issue and has petitioned the African Union to bring the matter up for serious discussion during the upcoming mid-year coordinating meeting to be held in Egypt.