According to a report by Ghana Web, former Ghanaian president John Dramani Mahama has called on Africans to stop focusing on colonialism as the main factor in their history and development. He said that Africa has a rich and diverse precolonial heritage that should not be ignored or dismissed.
Mahama made these remarks at the 2023 Humanity Summit in Faro, Portugal, where he spoke on the theme of “Creating a new paradigm of trade between the Global North and the Global South”. He said that Africa has been misrepresented and misjudged by the world, and that it is often difficult to have constructive conversations about it without ensuring that everyone has an accurate perspective.
He acknowledged that colonialism has shaped Africa’s current challenges, such as poverty, political instability, and dependency on raw materials exports. He said that African countries have little to no power in the global trade system, and that they are often exploited by the Global North for their natural resources and cheap labour.
However, he also stressed that Africa has made significant progress in recent years, and that it has the potential to overcome its difficulties with time and technological advances. He cited examples of successful African entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders who have contributed to the continent’s development and transformation.
He urged the Global North to engage with Africa in a more respectful and mutually beneficial way, and to support its aspirations for self-reliance and sovereignty. He said that Africa is not a monolith, but a diverse and dynamic continent with different cultures, languages, and histories.
He concluded by saying that Africa’s story is more than colonialism, and that it is a story of resilience, creativity, and hope.
