Mr Maxwell "Kofi Ghana" Jumah, the Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), has stressed the need for African-Americans and other people of African decent to assist Africa to get away from its present conditions of under-development.

He said the recognition and respect Africans deserved would continue to elude them until their mother continent, was able to extricate itself from the scourge of poverty.

Addressing two separate African-American delegations that called on him at his office in Kumasi, Mr Jumah said it was imperative for people of African decent who had made it to put their resources at the disposal of other Africans.

He said African-Americans could learn lessons from the Jews, American-Chinese and Koreans who were never given respect until their mother countries were able to break into the ranks of developed countries.

Mr Jumah said whereas people like Irish-Americans, Jews and Chinese-Americans had maintained close contacts with and pour assistance to their mother countries the same cannot be said of African-Americans.

''The fact that India, South Korea, Israel, Ireland and China are now making it big on the world economic stage is significantly due to the constant stream of material, financial and human resources provided by their Diaspora citizens."

Mr Jumah, who stayed in the US for 26 years, said though a large number of African-Americans have made it in the various fields they are not fully recognised and respected.

"The destiny of black people is linked to that of the mother continent no matter where they live."

Mr Jumah said it was time African-Americans made their enormous financial resources and technological know-how available to progressive African countries to enable them to break out from their "shackles of under-development".

"If you help Africa to do well you will not be doing the continent a favour, you will rather be doing yourselves a favour because America will never fully accept you unless it accepts Africa which can only happen when the continent is out of its doldrums".

Mr Jumah said though Africa was economically poor it was also rich in many aspects of human life and urged people of African decent to feel proud to associate themselves with developments on the continent.

Dr Segun Shabaka of the Benjamin Banneker Academy in Brooklyn, New York, said there was an urgent need for African-Americans to trade more with the continent.

He explained that he was a leader of a 14-member delegation from the Academy that is in the country on an education and cultural tour to learn more about her heritage.

Miss Melcenia R. Williams and Mary E. Singletary, both of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated, a charitable organisation based in the US, said they were in the country to explore the possibility of funding a number of facilities for deprived communities.