African leading minds have called on Africans to be mindful of their
rich history, which according to them creates the path towards the
socio-cultural, economic and political development of the continent
The strong African voices which included Group Chairman, United Bank for
Africa (UBA), Tony Elumelu, Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka; Professor
emeritus and authority in Sahelian history, Djibril Tamsir Niane;
Ghanaian Politician, Samia Nkrumah and Famous Musician, Femi Kuti spoke
during the first edition of UBA’s Africa Conversations, a symposium
organised by the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc at the UBA House in
Lagos, as part of activities marking this year’s Africa Day
celebrations. The theme of the panel session was “Africa’s History
Redefined, Our Past, the Path to the Future”.
Opening the conversation, the Group Chairman, UBA, Tony Elumelu stated
‘UBA understands the past- that Africa as a continent has always been
united by the struggle for identity. UBA is a symbol for the development
of Africa, for the economic empowerment of our people, the Small and
Medium Enterprises as well as the big corporations. Thus, identifying
with Africa and indeed Africa Day is synonymous with who we are as a
bank. It presents us the opportunity to remind ourselves, the world and
indeed Africa that we owe ourselves the duty of making Africa the
continent of our dreams.”
Elumelu added that it is important for Africans to remember history as
this will help prepare for the future. ‘Our past provides a veritable
tool to fashioning the continent’s development, renaissance and economic
growth’ he emphasized.
Speaking strongly on the issue, professor Wole Soyinka, who commended
UBA’s initiative for opening up discussions on these pressing topics
decried the growing erosion of history from the curriculum in African
schools, adding that the lack of knowledge of our past makes children’s
growth on the continent truncated. “How can we cope with the modern
phenomenon if we do not know the past? We should never forget the
importance of history as it is not just an academic exercise,” he
enthused.
Corroborating Soyinka’s position, Professor Niane opined that
reminiscing about Africa’s rich history is important as there is no
people without history. He said, “A lot of work has been done by
Africans and we have to be happy about it. There is the need to continue
the conversation about African unity. Policies have been put in place
and our democracy can only get stronger. Peace will reign and Africa
will be reunited. Economic transformation is also important but it is
not the only thing we should concentrate on.”
Samia Nkrumah, the daughter of Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, who commended UBA
for prioritizing African entrepreneurship, called for a renewed attempt
at African unity, which according to her, has to be a collective effort
of the people.
Nkrumah said, “As we work in our individual smaller countries, it will
be easier to achieve more if we work together and complete unification
can only come if we work together; we won’t go anywhere unless we use
unity as a political project.’ She added.
On his part, Femi Kuti emphasized the importance of History, saying “Our
children need to learn this history so that they can come up and build
the continent. We need everyone – both boys and girls to work towards
this vision.”
The UBA Conversations, an initiative of the Pan African financial
institution, aims at aggregating discussions necessary for the growth
and development of the continent. It is being held as part of the
activities to mark the 2019 edition of Africa Day celebrations by the
bank.
With presence in 20 African countries as well as in the United States,
France and The United Kingdom, UBA’s passion for Africa’s growth is part
of who they are.
The bank is set to continue conversations around these important topics
that are required to galvanize the African economy with the aim of
attracting the much needed support that will boost SMEs and support
business growth on the continent.