PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has called for peace on the Africa continent as a prerequisite for sustainable development.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity), Garba Shehu said the President made the remarks on Monday in his message to mark the “Africa Day 2020” which is commemorated on 25 May annually.
Africa Day is observed annually to commemorate the founding of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), the precursor of the African Union, which was created on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The statement revealed that the “Africa Day 2020” was commemorated by the African Union Commission in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) with the theme ”Silencing the Guns in the context of the COVID-19” for this year’s Africa Day.
President Buhari commended the theme chosen for this year which aptly reflected the critical situation on ground across the world including in the continent, and stressed the need for African leaders to grow beyond the guns on the continent, emphasizing the need to sensitize Africans about the inseparable connection between peace and development.
”Peace, security, unity and harmony are prerequisites for development in Africa,” the Nigerian leader said, urging citizens all over the continent to innovate on how “Silencing the Guns” can be used to achieve peace and grow African economies”, Buhari said.
He also urged regional economic groups, civil society organisations and the private sector in Africa to take full ownership of the theme of this year’s celebration to strengthen collaborative efforts among member-countries of the African Union.