Senior Pan-Africanists over the weekend decried the negative narrative about Africa, saying that the continent should instead be marketed as one on a progressive road to development. This was during an event held in the Ugandan capital Kampala to celebrate Africa Day, which was organised by Rwanda’s High Commissioner to Uganda Frank Mugambage. Mugambage is the current dean of African Group of Ambassadors accredited to Uganda on top of being the envoy to the Chairperson of the African Union in Uganda. The activities were held under the theme, “winning the fight against corruption, a sustainable path to Africa’s transformation.” African Unity Day, also known as Africa Day, is celebrated annually on May 25. “Africa is a continent of much abundance; from our broad cultural diversity, demographic dividend and natural resources to our resilience in spite of numerous obstacles. We must celebrate this and continue to strive to do even better,” Mugambage said. On Africa Day, the continent celebrates the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) on this day in 1963. The OAU was later replaced by the African Union. Uganda’s Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda, who was guest of honour, observed that Africa continues to register remarkable economic growth despite the inadequate energy and infrastructure. Rugunda said that Africa has for long endured being portrayed by western media as a continent of epidemics, conflicts and corruption. “The bleak narrative that continues to be perpetuated about Africa is largely subjective and unacceptable,” Rugunda said. The event was also marked by a panel discussion that included Amb. Mugambage, Uganda’s Justice and Constitutional Minister Kahinda Otafiire, Uganda’s Inspector General of Government Justice Irene Mulyagonja, and Makerere University political economist Prof. Julius Kiiza. “With a view to mobilise society as a whole in our fight against corruption, we look forward to multi-sectoral engagement with key actors, including national anti-corruption agencies, parliamentarians, civil society organizations, the media, law enforcement agencies, judiciaries, women and the youth,” Mugambage said. “We should also reverse the current trend where presently out of the ten most corrupt countries globally, six are in Africa.” Otafiire emphasised the importance of providing evidence pinning culprits on corruption, adding that this will go a long away in fighting the vice. Africa is the richest continent in the world in terms of natural resources, but it sadly remains home to the world’s poorest people, the officials said. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
