Kusini Kwetu

By Vincent Mpepo

African countries have been called upon to work together instead of acting alone in the fight against poverty and exploitation. This cooperation would help fulfill the dreams of Africa’s founding leaders, such as Mwalimu Julius Nyerere and Nelson Mandela.

This call was made during an academic forum held yesterday at Johari Rotana Hotel in Dar es Salaam which was attended by scholars, academics, government leaders, private sector representatives, and diplomats from across Africa and beyond.

During the forum, Professor Senia Nhamo from the University of South Africa (UNISA) said African nations can gain a lot by joining hands and taking advantage of shared economic opportunities.

“We can make better use of our resources and trade more with each other if we cut down bureaucracy and remove customs and tax barriers,” said Prof. Nhamo.

She pointed out that challenges like lack of a single African currency and customs duties need to be addressed. She also encouraged African governments to invest in useful research and urged universities to share research findings with the public instead of keeping them in libraries.

Dr. Dunlop Ochieng, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the Open University of Tanzania said some development projects and investments ignore local people which leads to poor cooperation.

He said it’s important to include local communities in all development efforts so they are active participants, not just observers in their own land.

Executive Director of the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Foundation, Joseph Butiku, said Africa needs strong and continuous leadership to reach its development goals.

“Africa is falling behind because there is no consistency in planning and following through with priorities when leadership changes,” said Butiku.

He noted that new leaders often bring in their own priorities and ignore those of past leaders.

Butiku also thanked former South African President Thabo Mbeki for choosing Tanzania to host the forum, which helped assess the importance of the blue economy adding that the relationship between Tanzania and South Africa goes back to the time of the struggle for independence.

A researcher from Tanzania’s National Defence College, Dr. Lucy Shule, said African countries must work together at regional and continental levels to drive economic growth.

She said working in unity brings more strength than working alone.

On the topic of the blue economy, she stressed the need for African governments to raise awareness about the concept and create policies to protect local communities so they benefit from marine resources.