Editor,

Reference is made to the article, "Africa should look beyond its resources – Kagame” (The New Times, January 31).

It is great once again for the African heads of state to peacefully come together to address the issues that still contribute to the retardation of self-sufficiency on the continent. However, like before, the summit has ignored the key issues that are majorly the root causes to the problems facing Africa.

There is an alarming need for African states to create an enlightened democracy that gives accurate accountability in the administration of the affairs of their states, employs policies that help create opportunities for the majority of the people they lead and that make reforms in policies that have for long failed to lift the majority out of poverty.

The high record of income inequality on Africa has created a generational gap between the rich and the poor purposely as a tool for domination by the elite African leaders against the majority poor as a way of keeping themselves into power to serve their personal interests of self enrichment other than serving the interests of the people they represent. This kind of environment has only made a few elite African leaders the victors in every generation to their fellow majority citizens they represent who continue to survive under the poverty line.

To achieve a prosperous and an integrated Africa, the summit should have focused on more sensitive issues such as: industrialising agriculture since it’s the main source of income in many African countries, allowing the full functioning of multi-party systems as a way of promoting competition and democracy to uproot corruption and dictatorship, initiating tougher legislations to cub and control the powers of the executive branch within any ruling political party in African governments, supporting the implementation of African regional integration plans, making reforms in the approaches on how African states conduct business with the outside world, whose result should directly contribute to the welfare of the ordinary majority Africans than a few elite groups, and empowering women and the youth through legislating tougher laws and creation of jobs respectively among others.

Finally, the summit’s goals in achieving Africa’s prosperity and integration will solely base on every African leader’s love for the welfare of their fellow countrymen, their nations and their continent in general.

Clet Mugabo