Africa Day marked in Jordan

Africa Day is celebrated across Africa and around the world on the May 25; this year’s event will be celebrated two days early in Jordan, so as not to clash with the celebration of Jordan’s National Day.

May 25 is the day on which the Organisation of African Unity was (OAU) founded in 1963.

Its purpose was to bring about the end of colonisation in Africa and the achievement of freedom and independence by all African states.

The OAU was succeeded in 2002 by the African Union (AU), which strives to work towards a peaceful, prosperous and integrated Africa.

The AU headquarters are in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, while the African Parliament is based at Midrand, in South Africa. The AU has 55 member states.

The AU has since formulated a strategic framework for the socio-economic transformation of the continent over the next 50 years, called Agenda 2063.

It builds on and seeks to accelerate the implementation of past and existing continental initiatives for growth and sustainable development.

Eight African countries have embassies in Jordan: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan and Tunisia, while a further 10 have honorary consuls in Amman.

The group is keen to consolidate and strengthen ties with Jordan and commends His Majesty King Abdullah’s decision to strengthen Jordan’s ties with Africa through the opening of new embassies.

Jordan’s first ambassador to Kenya took up his post in April 2017, while new Jordanian embassies in Addis Ababa and Dakar, Senegal, are believed to be in the pipeline.

The group also welcomes the establishment of the Jordan-Africa Business Association (JABA), which was launched in April, 2017 with Reem Badran as its first president. 

Africa had some of the fastest-growing economies in the world and all the African embassies in Amman have been working to strengthen economic ties with Jordan. 

As a close neighbour of Africa, Jordan is welcome in African countries.

The AU’s theme for 2017 focuses on Africa’s youth: “Harnessing the demographic dividend through investment in youth”.

Africa’s people, and especially its youth, had a renewed optimism and a desire to build a better future for Africa.

Africa is taking full responsibility for tackling its own problems, but welcomes partners in development.

Jordan’s outreach to Africa is particularly welcome in this regard.

The writer is South Africa’s ambassador to Jordan and dean of the African Group of Ambassadors in Amman. He contributed this article to The Jordan Times.