Former UN Senior Governance Advisor, Prof Baffour Agyeman-Duah, has described President John Mahama’s address at the United Nations as the boldest speech from an African leader in many years.
Prof Agyeman-Duah said it was refreshing to hear an African leader confront critical global issues at the UN without fear, something he had not witnessed in a long time.
“When I heard the President’s speech, it reminded me of the early post-independence era when our leaders, Nyerere and Nkrumah, went to the UN and made our case for the world to listen to us,” he said.
He explained that African leaders have for too long been timid, either out of fear or dependence on foreign powers. “Our hands are in their mouth, so don’t bite them hard,” he remarked.
According to him, President Mahama broke that silence with courage and clarity. He said he was particularly struck by Mahama’s declaration that if something looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like one, then it is indeed a duck.
“That really impressed me,” Prof Agyeman-Duah noted.
He also highlighted Mahama’s strong stance on immigration, where he condemned the way Western countries treat Africans, and his criticism of international financial institutions that continue to exploit African nations.
“In a nutshell, for me, it was the boldest speech I’ve heard from an African leader in a very, very long time, and I was very pleased with it,” he added.
Source: Abubakar Ibrahim
ALSO READ:
