NAN-HE –19
Welfare
By Kingsley Okoye
Abuja, March 3, 2017 (NAN) The African Capacity Building Foundation Fund (ACBF) has called on African leaders to implement policies aimed at improving the welfare of people in the region.
ACBF’s Executive Secretary, Prof. Emmanuel Nnadozie, told the News Agency Of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday that doing so would help strengthen democratic institutions and democratic rule.
Nnadozie said it was necessary for African governments in particular to strengthen the various democratic institutions in the area of capacity building to deliver the gains of democracy to the people.
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“This administration should strengthen political institutions far beyond what they were, weather they continue or not, they should live some kind of legacy that would strengthen democracy far beyond what they found in place.
“ Let us not mistakenly think, and this is the mistake we are again making in Africa to see and think that democracy is an end in itself, democracy cannot.
That is what people say, you don’t eat democracy, it is important that is not an end itself, it should be a means of achieving a higher ideas.
“So this why, if democracy is going on and people are suffering, very soon they will lose confidence in democracy.
“So we need to pay attention to economic development, and welfare of people, dealing with poverty in a very significant way.
“The time bomb that we have which is called youth employment that is something that we should go beyond slogans.
“This really what I see about democracy in Nigeria that we need to strengthen democratic institutions so that they democratise the country more and more and promote democracy.’’
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ACBF was established by African governments and their development partners to help build sustainable human and institutional capacity for good governance and development management.
He, however, said ACFB had been involved in the process of building capacity for Nigerian institutions, other African countries for their structures of governance to perform optimally.
He said that long term prescription for economic prosperity in Africa was for the government of various countries to key into the development plans already initiated by Africa Union.
“There are two things that are on the table. African Union had put an agenda 2063 on the table and that agenda is a well thought out issue, stating that from 50 years from now what Africa will be in terms of development.
“ACBF also made sure that the agenda 2030 which is the sustainable development goal is completely compactable with agenda 2063 agenda of development.
“So for me the prescription for prosperity is there and that is why governments and people will have to pay attention to it.’’
He said the main focus was for African governments and Nigeria to align its national development strategies, with the AU agenda for development.
He said it was practically impossible for national governments in the region to fully solve the challenges associated with democracy without building the relevant capacities to needed to ensure good governance.
He also said that it was important for African countries to elect visionary leaders, develop critical skills and institutions to deliver the gains of democracy to the people.
“When I say leadership, I mean visionary leadership and accountable one, accountability is extremely important because that is what will make everything work.“ NAN.
KC/DOR/YEE
Edited by Nyisom Dore/Emmanuel Yashim
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