President John Dramani Mahama has described the recent tensions involving African migrants in South Africa as unfortunate, saying the situation comes at a time when the continent is seeking to deepen integration.
According to President Mahama, Africa is working to increase trade among member states and improve the movement of people and goods across the continent, making incidents of xenophobia particularly concerning.
He made the remarks in an interview with TRT World. “Africa needs more integration at this point. And that’s why what happened in South Africa is unfortunate, because it comes at a time when we’re trying to trade more amongst ourselves. We’re trying to improve movement of people and goods across the continent,” he said.
President Mahama said these xenophobic actions undermine efforts to promote closer relations among African countries and could set back the continent’s integration agenda.
He, however, acknowledged the need for African countries to have discussions on migration, suggesting that the issue should be placed on the agenda of the African Union.
“We can discuss the issue of migration. And I think it’s something we can put on the agenda of the African Union to discuss,” he said.
President Mahama stressed that migration challenges must be addressed through dialogue and appropriate policies rather than vigilantism.
“But I do think that you cannot solve migration issues with vigilantism. Vigilantism is not the way to deal with issues of migration,” he said.
He said greater integration and unity remain critical to Africa’s development, particularly as countries seek to facilitate the movement of people and goods across the continent.
Source:-channel1news
