Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI, the Paramount Chief of Osu Traditional Area, has called on African leaders to come together and ignite a passion for economic independence of the continent.

He said to be able to achieve this, there was the need to bring on board the traditional leaders, politicians and the clergy to fashion out policies that would be in the ultimate interest of the people.

Nii Kinka Dowuona, also the President of the Osu Traditional Council, made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency as part of the Council’s activities to round-off the African Union (AU) Day celebrations.

He said the eagerness with which the forefathers of Africa fought for independence should be reflected in the way “our current leaders are fighting for economic emancipation of the continent”.

He said during the fight for independence the leaders spoke with one voice and worked tirelessly for its achievement which also culminated in the creation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1963 now AU born in 2002.

“Both organisations have the same objectives which include harmonization of the political, diplomatic, economic, educational, cultural, health, and the welfare of members to achieve a better life for the people,” he said.

“What do we see today, everybody has become individualistic which is crippling our economies and I wonder how the continent would look like in the next 10 years,” Nii Kinka Dowuona said.

He said African leaders had enacted policies that were in favour of foreign countries turning the continent into a dumping ground for European and Asian goods to the detriment of African products.

“We have lost touch of everything and we are following the wind. We cannot even produce or appreciate our own needs,” he said.

Using Ghana as the stand-point, he said the first president, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, visualised that by gaining independence “we will be bosses and managers of our resources.

“The first president built industries and made Ghanaians proud of producing locally manufactured goods, but now almost all the factories have collapsed because of our displaced priorities,” the Osu Mantse said.

He said the country had all the natural resources at its disposal yet the citizenry fought over finished products from outside which put monies into the coffers of foreign nations.

Nii Kinka Dowuona said it was time the fire that burnt during the fight for independence was re-ignited for the economic independence of Africa.