Addis Ababa: Ethiopia firmly believes that regional and continental integration is essential to diversify economies and ensure peaceful co-existence among Africans, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed underscored.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 37th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union today, Abiy said Africa needs strong regional and continental platforms where national development challenges from a geographical logistics and security perspective are taken into consideration.
The prime minister added that increasing infrastructural connectivity between the countries by building roads, airports, ports, rail network, pipelines and communication networks will link communities, increase trade, and enable economic integration.
He stressed the need for securing peace and stability, which of course is the necessary foundation for economic and social development.
According to him, the world has witnessed profound transformation shaped by geopolitical competiti
on, economic challenges, climate change and technological advancement.
While we celebrate the AU permanent membership at the G20 and the opportunity it gives to the continent to be heard on global issues, PM Abiy noted that there are still important questions that need to be addressed.
He recalled that the continent’s path towards greater achievements and progress was disrupted by colonialism, adding that the strategic approach of the colonial powers was centered around dismantling the core essence of nations, undermining knowledge, spiritual and cultural heritage, and replacing ancient education systems with western style of education.
Uncovering this deep historic facts and bringing them to light is necessary to move forward for better determination and dignity, he stressed.
“Our land is rich, we are blessed with favorable weather, arable land, water, forest, natural resources and large youth population who embody the great potential of our continent. We should not be seeking for aid.”
The premier furt
her pointed out that education is a key for sustainable development and faster growth.
‘In the last five years, Ethiopia has made significant progress towards universal access to education. We have built over 30,000 kindergarten and primary schools. We are heavily investing in secondary schools and TVETs to ensure quality and skill development as well as meet labor market needs.’
Today new technology and innovative learning models can help our continent to leapfrog into the future. Technology has taken learning beyond the classroom.
Artificial intelligence is delivering personalized learning tailored to children’s needs by breaking down cultural and language barriers, the PM said, adding that such advancement will allow our youth to unleash their entrepreneurial spirit, problem solving skill and determination to overcome challenges on Africa’s development path.
But one of the major factors affecting education systems is financial constraint to investments on education. The continent’s financing needs are
growing due to climate change and cost of living crisis, among others.
Noting the challenges of financial constraint on education, the premier pointed out that the inequalities in the international financial architecture makes access to finance inadequate and expensive.
The world needs to internalize the population projection of Africa in 2050, which will be 2.5 billion, making Africa the most populous continent in the world.
‘Africa’s rise should be important to the entire world. We need to grow. We need to build infrastructure, assure food security, strengthen our health and education systems and create jobs. All of this requires long term financing,” the PM underscored.
In connection with this, he called on all major financial agencies to consider the realities of today’s world, and particularly for middle and low income countries.
Africa is thriving in digital economy, with rapidly growing users of phones and mobile data.
‘We are starting to produce large data sets that the AI system requires to all
ow us to learn, make prediction, inform our policies and react. Having a robust pan-African data governance strategy aligned with the principle of Agenda 2063 will boost the continent’s competitiveness, ensure proactive data flow and protect individual right,” Prime Minister Abiy said.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency