Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament (MP) of North Tongu in the Volta Region has urged Africa to make use of its expertise to accelerate socio-economic development especially under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

He noted that, “colonialism continues if we cannot be self-reliant and be in control of your economy and resources,” and that African leaders needed to show, in concrete terms, that the continent could take control of its destiny.

Ablakwa, who was speaking at the Sixth Volta Trade and Investment Fair’s Second Young Volta Entrepreneurs Summit, complained about the reasons why Ghana should contact Australia to explore its recently discovered lithium resources for mining.

He said that Zimbabwe, Ghana’s sister nation in Africa, had been mining lithium for several years and that it would be beneficial for Ghana to collaborate with Zimbabwe and benefit from their experience in the resource exploitation.

The MP urged the creation of appropriate frameworks and mechanisms that would support African businesses and increase production while ensuring that the continent maximises the benefits of its natural resources.

The Summit was on the theme: “Bridging Borders: Amplifying Youth Entrepreneurs in an AfCFTA Era.”

He bemoaned the fact that it took the continent 60 years to be realising the idea of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area.

Ablakwa said Dr Kwame Nkrumah proposed the idea in his OAU speech in 1963, which included an Africa Central Bank, a common market, and a single currency.

The MP emphasised the need to deliberately revisit a few important projects, such as the Trans-West Africa Highway, which connected Tema, Volta, Lome, and Nigeria, saying this project was strategically significant and could facilitate travel.

Ablakwa said Africa had the greatest natural resource wealth and was also the youngest continent, with 60 per cent of its population under 25 years and a higher proportion of gifted youth.

He urged the youth to seize leadership opportunities and try to contribute to the nation’s efforts to address issues affecting their generation.

“Let us not wait but always be in the mood of preparation and be the activists and the change that we want to see now,” he said.

Emma Theofulus, Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technology of Namibia, urged African leaders to foster an atmosphere that would support the growth of businesses and attract more youth to enter entrepreneurship.