L-R: Chairman of Ghana’s Convention People’s Party, and daughter of Mr. Kwame Nkrumah, Ms Samia Nkrumah; Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka; Group Chairman, UBA Plc, Mr. Tony Elumelu; Guinean Historian and playwright, Professor, Djibril Tamsir Niane; Afro musician, Mr. Femi Kuti; and Legal Practitioner and Moderator, Ms. Ayo Obe, during the panel discussion themed ‘Africa’s History Redefined, our past, the path to the future,’ organised by UBA to mark Africa’s Day in Lagos
African leading minds have called on Africans to be mindful of their rich history, which according to them creates the path towards the socio-cultural, economic and political development of the continent.
The
strong African voices which included Group Chairman, United Bank for Africa (UBA), Tony
Elumelu, Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka; Professor emeritus and authority in
Sahelian history, Djibril Tamsir Niane; Ghanaian Politician, Samia Nkrumah and
Famous Musician, Femi Kuti spoke during the first edition of UBA’s Africa
Conversations, a symposium organised by the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc at
the UBA House in Lagos, as part of activities marking this year’s Africa Day
celebrations. The theme of the panel session was “Africa’s
History Redefined, Our Past, the Path to the Future”.
Opening
the conversation, the Group Chairman, UBA, Tony Elumelu stated ‘UBA understands
the past- that Africa as a continent has always been united by the struggle for
identity. UBA is a symbol for the development of Africa, for the economic
empowerment of our people, the Small and Medium Enterprises as well as the big
corporations. Thus, identifying with Africa and indeed Africa Day is synonymous
with who we are as a bank. It presents us the opportunity to remind ourselves,
the world and indeed Africa that we owe ourselves the duty of making Africa the
continent of our dreams.”
Elumelu
added that it is important for Africans to remember history as this will help
prepare for the future. ‘Our past provides a veritable tool to fashioning the
continent’s development, renaissance and economic growth’ he emphasised.
Speaking strongly on the issue, professor Wole Soyinka, who
commended UBA’s initiative for opening up discussions on these pressing topics
decried the growing erosion of history from the curriculum in African schools,
adding that the lack of knowledge of our past makes children’s growth on the
continent truncated. “How can we cope with the modern phenomenon if we do not
know the past? We should never forget the importance of history as it is not
just an academic exercise,” he enthused.
Corroborating
Soyinka’s position, Professor Niane opined thatreminiscingabout
Africa’s rich history is important as there is no people without history. He
said, “A lot of work has been done by Africans and we have to be happy about
it. There is the need to continue the conversation about African unity.
Policies have been put in place and our democracy can only get stronger.
Peace will reign and Africa will be reunited. Economic transformation is also
important but it is not the only thing we should concentrate on.”
Samia
Nkrumah, the daughter of Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, who commendedUBA for
prioritising African entrepreneurship, called for a renewed attempt at African
unity, which according to her, has to be a collective effort of the people.
Nkrumah
said, “As we work in our individual smaller countries, it will be easier to
achieve more if we work together and complete unification can only come if we
work together; we won’t go anywhere unless we use unity as a political
project.’ She added.
On
his part, Femi Kuti emphasised the importance ofHistory, saying “Our
children need to learn this history so that they can come up and build the
continent. We need everyone – both boys and girls to work towards this vision.”
The UBA Conversations, an initiative of
the Pan African financial institution, aims at aggregating discussions
necessary for the growth and development of the continent. It is being held as
part of the activities to mark the 2019 edition of Africa Day celebrations by
the bank.
With presence in 20 African countries as well as in the United
States, France and The United Kingdom, UBA’s passion for Africa’s growth is
part of who they are.
The bank is set to continue conversations around these
important topics that are required to galvanise the African economy with the
aim of attracting the much needed support that will boost SMEs and support
business growth on the continent.
