Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoom, Minister for Economic Planning and Regional Integration, on Wednesday called on African-American students to explore avenues that would help them champion the development agenda of Africa.

He was opening a three-day "Africa Students Summit" in Accra for about 60 African-American students with their Ghanaian counterparts to foster sustained socio-cultural relationship among them to enable them to develop Africa.

The summit, which is taking place at the University of Ghana, is under the theme, "Finding a Common Ground" and it is being organised by the A Breed Apart Foundation, of the United States of America and the Sankofa Educational Foundation of Ghana.

He said as students and Africans, they ought to think of what they could do for their continent even at school, adding; "Africa has two sides, opportunities and challenges and by looking at both sides they can help achieve its dream."

According to him poverty in Africa is pervasive and has hampered its development for years, noting that, "presently about 40 per cent of Ghanaians live on less than a dollar a day," adding that economic factors such as manufacturing and exporting of primary goods, lack of access to foreign markets due to trade restrictions were challenges to Africa and hence her inability to compete at the international markets.

Dr Ndoom, noted that with the current wind of democratisation sweeping across the continent and the new initiative by African leaders of the New Partnership for Africa's Development, there was the hope for a brighter tomorrow.

Mr Earl N. Cardwell, the Founder of the summit said the purpose was to facilitate an annual gathering of African-American students, African students and other students from the Diaspora to enable them to examine, debate, discuss issues of Africa interest. He said the Africa students' summit was a natural progression and the continuation of the on-going effort to remember and reconnect Africans with

Africa.

Mr Cardwell said, the symbol "Nkonsonkonson" as a sign of unity has been chosen to represent the spirit of the summit while acknowledging the importance of Africa's past and future, which found a link between life and death. Those who share common blood and relations never break apart." He announced that in 2003, the summit would adopt the name "Pan African Student Summit".