As Nigeria continues to battle the rising insecurity fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic, President Muhammadu Buhari has urged regional economic groups, civil society organisations and the private sector in Africa to strengthen collaborative efforts among member-countries of the African Union.
He added that stakeholders must take full ownership of the theme of this year’s celebration to ‘silence the guns’, and allow for economic development in the continent.
”Peace, security, unity, and harmony are prerequisites for development in Africa,” Buhari said, stressing the need for all economic groups to work together to achieve the peace required for economic growth.
This was part of the President’s message to African leaders to mark the celebration of the ”Africa Day 2020,” by the African Union Commission and the World Health Organization (WHO).
(READ MORE:Post Covid19: Global Leaders at UBA Africa Day Conversations Seek Economic Recovery)
President Buhari said Africa has given the world a new hope by choosing the theme ''Silencing the Guns in the context of the COVID-19'' for this year’s Africa Day.
— Garba Shehu (@GarShehu) May 25, 2020
He noted that the selected theme for the year 2020, ”Silencing the Guns in the context of the COVID-19” provides a ray of hope in the seemingly bleak situation caused by the pandemic across the globe.
He stressed the need for African leaders to ensure that every effort is made to ensure the success of silencing the guns in the continent, emphasizing the need to sensitize Africans about the inseparable connection between peace and development.
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About the Africa Day
Africa Day is observed annually on 25 May, in commemoration of the founding of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), which was founded on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and is now known as the African Union.
