President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says the situation where Ghana, like many countries in Africa, is forging relations with China is “not a uniquely Ghanaian or African phenomenon”.

Delivering his speech at the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, on Wednesday, 26th September, 2018, President Akufo-Addo noted that “rich and well-established countries have been paying regular visits to China, and seeking to open new economic ties and improve upon existing ones.

While a lot of anxiety is being expressed about the possibility of a recolonization of the African continent by a new power, President Akufo-Addo admonished all to learn from history.

“It was at the turn of the 20th century that China’s first railways were built by Western companies, financed by Western loans to a nearly bankrupt Qing Dynasty, and it was under those circumstances that a certain strategic port called Hong Kong was leased for 99 years, and the rest as the saying goes, is history,” the President said.

He continued, “Today, the former victim of Western Railways imperialism is lending billions to countries throughout Asia, Africa and Europe to construct not only railroads, but also highways, ports, power plants and other infrastructure, and many businesses.”

The historical echoes, President Akufo-Addo noted, are worrisome, but was confident that “we must and can learn from history”.

Whilst acknowledging that Ghana is getting her population educated and trained, the President noted that, at the same time, “we must address our infrastructural deficit.”

The traditional methods of tackling these problems, he noted, will not provide the answer, as Ghana is looking for new ways to resolve them.

“We, in Ghana, must build roads, bridges, railways, ports, schools, hospitals, and we must create jobs to keep our young people engaged. It is obvious to us that the mode of development trajectory we had been on for many decades is not working. We are trying a different one, and we would appreciate the support and goodwill of the world, especially in helping to stem the huge flow of illicit funds from the continent,” he added.

President Akufo-Addo stressed that it was in everybody’s interest that countries counted amongst the poor of the world make a rapid transformation from poverty to prosperity.

“We are determined in Ghana, and, increasingly, in more and more parts of Africa, to chart our own paths to prosperity, and pay our own way in the world. We are no longer interested in being a burden on others.”

“We will shoulder our own responsibilities and build societies and nations that will be attractive to our youth. We have the necessary sense of enterprise, creativity, innovation and hard work to engineer this transition. Hence, our vision of a Ghana Beyond Aid, indeed, of an Africa Beyond Aid,” he added.