Flag hoisting marks AU Day today

A flag-raising ceremony will be held at the forecourt of the State House in Accra today as Ghana joins the rest of Africa to commemorate the 55th anniversary of the African Union Day.

State officials, members of the diplomatic corps, religious figures, as well as security agencies will grace the occasion.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, is expected to lead the way to hoist the AU flag and that of Ghana to symbolically whip up the spirit of African unity and solidarity.

As usual, the day which promises to be colourful, will provide a platform for African leaders to tell the historic tales of emancipation of the continent.

It will also serve as an avenue to rekindle the spirit of African unity and solidarity in the continuous march towards the prosperity of the continent.

At the core of the messages that will be heard across the continent are issues of leadership, governance, exploitation of natural resources for the benefit of countries in the continent, as well as the removal of barriers to free trade and movement of people.

Apt theme

Being marked on the theme “Winning the fight against corruption: A sustainable path to Africa’s development,” the day will be used to reflect on how to tackle the menace head on.

The aptness of this theme came to the fore at the launch of the AU Day last Thursday, when a deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Mr Charles Owiredu, called for concerted national efforts to weed out corruption.

Way forward

For us as a country, the theme is particularly relevant, especially when there is a clarion call for all and sundry to rise up and be counted in the fight against corruption in all aspects of our national life.

Key steps have been taken by the government, including the setting up of the Office of the Special Prosecutor and implemented the National Anti-corruption Action Plan (NACAP).

However, more need to be done by individuals, institutions and groups to fight corruption because it is a killer and a major enemy to our development.

About AU Day

It had been referred to variously as Africa Day, African Freedom Day and the African Liberation Day when the annual event was commemorated during the period of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).

The event is marked on May 25, the day on which the OAU was born in Addis Ababa in 1963.

Following the switch over of the name of the continental body to the African Union (AU), the day was rechristened AU Day.