Accra, April 21, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Monday called for a new partnership deal on aid, trade, investment and technology between Africa and its development partners. This, he said, must be underpinned by a shared goal of supporting African countries to secure financial assistance for development and trade infrastructure, gain flexible and differential treatment in trade agreements, attract increased investment on conditions that promote growth of domestic enterprises and secure access to appropriate technology for industrialization.

President Kufuor was contributing to a high level panel discussion on "Trade and Development for Africa's Prosperity: Action and Direction" at the on-going 12th Session of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Accra.

More than 4,000 delegates made up of Heads of State, Trade Ministers from 193-member countries and civil society groups are attending.

President Kufuor said addressing the multiple development challenges facing Africa also required ensuring a stronger Africa-UN partnership.

Reinforcing and strengthening of relations between the Region and the world body, he said, would enable the UN system to increase and sustain the contribution it was making to promote the development aspirations of Africa and other developing countries.

Again there was an added advantage of helping them to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by the set date of 2015. President Kufuor further encouraged South-South Cooperation to break the continuing North-South dependency development paradigm. The new development partnership must capitalize on the growing South-South trade and economic integration process.

He said, in Africa this must start with regional integration as the foundations for a continental union.

"From Sao Paulo to Accra, we must not miss the opportunity to help bring about meaningful change in our time to make the world a better place for the peoples we serve."