CARIBBEAN IS PART OF THE SIX REGION OF AFRICAN UNION
This was emphasized by GHANA PRESIDENT DURING HIS VISITS ST. VINCENT & THE GRENADINES
The Ghanaian president H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo- Addo visits Caribbean countries including Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, Jamaica and St.Vincent & the Grenadines.
The West African leader visited St.Vincent & the Grenadines on Wednesday 12th June 2019 as Ghana celebrates the “Year of Return” to commemorate 400 years since the first slaves left Ghana to the Americas, reminding us that we in the Caribbean are considered part of the African diaspora.
While here, the president spoke about the ” Year of Return”, which welcomes all Africans in the diaspora, including descendants of enslaved people who were forcibly transported to the Americas.
“Right from the day when Ghana got her freedom and independence from Britain’s colonial rule on the 6th March 1957… we’ve always seen ourselves as owing a special responsibility to Africans in the diaspora,” he said during a special sitting of Parliament. He said the African Union recognises Africans in the diaspora which includes the Caribbean as the sixth region in the African Union.
“We want to use this year of return as a bridge to build stronger ties between Ghana, those of us on the continent and the African Diaspora, Africa is your home and Ghana will be happy to serve as a bridge between the Diaspora and the African continent,” he said.
It is very important to note that the Caribbean and Africa must work together to forge ahead in international issues that relate to our own development, food, nutrition and security because as part of that diaspora it is important to note that many of us who are descendants from Africa always feel this connection to our motherland. The president’s visit reminded us that we can work together with our African brothers and sisters to ensure that we may maintain a balanced, free world and that the colonization and exploitation that took part in the Caribbean and Africa must now change to a partnership with mutual respect and understanding in our effort to develop our country and our region.