IN the 21 Century, technological advancement has taken centre stage.
This comes in the face of the adverse effects of climate change, threatening nations with food insecurity, along with a surge in commodity prices and unrest in several parts of the world.
Africa, arguably the richest continent, has experienced a record share of civil unrest for decades past, this has not ended in finding a solution, but persistent killings of innocent civilians, mostly women and children suffer the most, economies have been destroyed, yet minerals that can drive this continent, hosting one of the poorest populations, can make it economically viable.
At yesterday’s High Level Mediation for South Sudan held in Nairobi, Kenya, coinciding with the Africa Fertiliser and Soil Health Summit, a brainchild of the African Union, President Hakainde Hichilema who joined other Heads of State, emphasised as he has on the issue of war, “instability anywhere is instability everywhere and Africa, including South Sudan, needs peace more than war”.
These few remarks denote a simple summary of what war brings to the table, unlike its opposite – dialogue, it brings destruction, nothing more, nothing less – there is practically no winner.
President Hichilema added emphasis on the need for Africa and the world to focus more on exporting goods and services to each other, as opposed to problems emanating from internal conflicts.
A peaceful and united Africa is cardinal for development, Mr Hichilema stated, while calling for peace and security to prevail for national development in South Sudan.
This message goes beyond South Sudan, the continent is already clothed-wet in the blood. Time is now to put the millions of guns to rest, focus should go towards a united Africa, advancing its goals of economic emancipation, instead of a continued path of war.
Surely the world has seen that war is no solution, from the Ukraine-Russia conflict, Israel and Palestine, to the unrest in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo and parts of Mozambique, just to mention a few, a solution has come.