 President John Agyekum Kufuor of Ghana - Photo Credit: D. Anobil / ISD |
President John Agyekum Kufuor also called for greater "South-South" solidarity in trade and investment between Africa and other developing countries.
The President, who country is hosting UNCTAD XII, was one of several Heads of State to speak at a high-level session on "trade and development for Africa’s prosperity."
Mr. Kufuor said economic progress on the African continent must be made sustainable. Steps to that end should include learning from the recent successes of China, India, and Brazil. "Forums for cooperation" between those countries and Africa should be set up, Mr. Kufuor said, along with more effective partnerships with the United Nations to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Those goals include halving extreme poverty by 2015.
Official bilateral aid to African countries should be fashioned so that it is mutually beneficial and helps African nations put in place the infrastructure, investment and other ingredients they need to connect more effectively with world production and trade systems, Mr. Kufuor added.
The high-level meeting featured also addresses by Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil; Tarja Halonen, President of Finland; Ernest Bai Koroma, President of Sierra Leone; Ana Vilma Albanez de Escobar, Vice-President of El Salvador; and Benjamin Mkapa, former President of the United Republic of Tanzania.
Among the other speakers were United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; UNCTAD Secretary-General Supachai Panitchpakdi; and World Trade Organization Director-General Pascal Lamy.