Ghana’s President, Nana Akufo-Addo, has urged the leaders of other African countries to stop begging for loans from the West, noting that it is the only way to earn global respect for the continent.
Akufo-Addo challenged African countries to change the poor perceptions that the developed countries have about the continent, by ceasing to be beggarly.
The Ghanaian president took the bold stance on Tuesday, during his opening remarks at the ongoing US-African Leaders Summit in Washington, DC, USA.
He advocated that the resources in Africa should be spent on the continent to make it prosperous and get respect.
“If we stop being beggars and spend African money inside the continent, Africa will not need to ask for respect from anyone, we will get the respect we deserve. If we make it prosperous as it should be, respect will follow,” said Akufo-Addo.
Akufo-Addo’s admonition came on the day that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed to give Ghana a $3billion (£2.4billion) loan to alleviate an unprecedented economic downturn in his country.
Already burdened by high debt, Ghana faces historic inflation of more than 40% and a fall in the value of its currency – the cedi – economic difficulties worsened since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Nearly 50 African leaders, including Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari, and delegates are in Washington DC for a key summit hosted by President Joe Biden.
It is the centre-piece of a major effort to rearrange and improve US ties with African countries, whose relations with China and Russia have drawn scrutiny.