Use culture to advance African unity and development – ECOWAS Queen urges African leaders

The Queen Mother of ECOWAS nationals working and living in Ivory Coast, Nana Kyeremaa Abrafi-Koto, has urged African leaders to prioritize unity and development of the African continent through the promotion of culture.

Addressing a durbar of chiefs and people from ECOWAS living in Ivory Coast to climax this year’s ECOWAS festival, dubbed “FENA 2023,” the ECOWAS Queen Mother on Sunday, May 28, 2023, said African leaders have the best opportunity to use culture and tradition to speed up the promotion of unity, peace, stability, and development in the continent.

She, therefore, appealed to governments within the African continent to make the four-decade unity campaign waged by many Pan-Africanists an uncompromising agenda.

“We have to do everything in our capacities as governments, traditional rulers, and citizens to unite our people and ultimately the continent. We cannot grow and compete globally if we are disintegrated. The Chinese and Indians are united and still hold the cultural purity of their traditions and heritage, and therefore they are able to compete globally. We must do the same as Africans,” she advised.

She said there could be no development in Africa without unity, and that integration remains an amplifying avenue for building bridges and speeding up the process of development in Africa.

Nana Kyeremaa Abrafi-Koto, who hails from Ghana and gained the ECOWAS Queen Mothership in Ivory Coast through her social activities, further intimated that the only inspiration required to push Africa to unite was through cultural activities.

She lauded the various African embassies in Ivory Coast for helping to promote African culture.

The Queen praised the administration of Alassane Dramane Ouattara, President of Ivory Coast, for creating an enabling environment for foreigners to stay and work in Ivory Coast.

An Ivorian Minister of State in charge of Agriculture and Rural Development, Kobenan Kouassi Adjoumani, who represented the Prime Minister of Ivory Coast, Patrick Jérôme Achi, at the festival, lauded the Queen Mother for brilliantly initiating the festival to bring together nationals of the continent to celebrate cultures on one stage and to take stock of activities commemorating African unity.

He applauded the Queen Mother for identifying herself with the Ivorians and for working to promote culture, development, and tourism. He also promised the Ivorian government’s willingness to continue working with her to play a crucial role in influencing the unity and progress of Africa.