Lecture by H.E. DR. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe to students of the Academy of Diplomacy and Security in Belgrade on wednesday, 21. november, 2007
In line with promoting fruitful political relations with Serbia as well as seeking cooperation between Serbian and Ghanaian institutions, and as part of his efforts to further strengthen and enhance Africa’s history, particularly Ghana, His Excellency Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe on Wednesday, 21 November, 2007, honoured an invitation to lecture the students of the Academy of Diplomacy and Security in Belgrade.
The invitation was in line with a running project designed by the Management of the Academy dubbed “DIPLOMACY ALIVE”, during which Ambassadors and Diplomats from various Embassies in Belgrade shared information of their choice with students of the Academy.
His Excellency’s lecture was on the topic: POLITICAL ORIENTATION OF THE NEWLY INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES OF AFRICA IN THE LATE 50’s AND EARLY 60’s. He mentioned that the arrival of the white man in Africa completely determined the history of Africa and Africa’s future. The history of Africa, he said, could have been a glorious one but for the saga of slavery, colonialism and neocolonialism.
His Excellency added that, Africa therefore saw independence as the only way to salvage the continent from ruins and realized immediately after their independence that their problems were contemporary problems and only the democracy of a mass society, i.e. living like one organism with its own nodal control could solve the problems, since almost all the countries that had independence in that era, one way or the other, had no good structures in place, be it developmental, economical or security structures. The colonialists, in most cases, he continued, inhumanely, plundered their African colonies.
The Ambassador further indicated that the newly independent African states, however, associated themselves with Socialism and saw that as the only way that would quickly get them into the political and international limelight to insure their rapid development and growth.
His Excellency stated that, the post-colonial era left behind numerous contradictions and brought about irreversible processes which needed to be addressed, vis- a- vis trade between the developed and the developing countries.
Continuing, His Excellency pointed out that, the basic elements of post-independent African countries’ ideological and political orientation were the depth of social changes which took place in the course of wars and National Liberation struggles under the policies of self-management and self- reliance.
In conclusion the Ambassador said that, Africa would not need aid from any developed country if there would be fair prices for its priceless products on the world market citing Ghana’s cocoa, minerals and other raw materials as an example.
