State House, Banjul, 27th July 2022: President Adama Barrow said unity and integration are essential for maintaining peace in the subregion and the continent while addressing the crowd during Liberia’s 175th Independence Anniversary event on July 26th 2022, in Monrovia.
He said Africa must concentrate on a new strategy of utilizing its human resources to maintain peace and promote development to raise the standard of living of its people.
“To achieve these, the need for cooperation and progress is most urgent. Thus, as we call for unity and African integration, we must give priority to sustaining peace in the sub-region and the entire continent.” President Barrow observed.
As the special guest of honour, President Barrow urged Liberians to unite against violence and construct a future that would assure progress and prosperity for all Liberians, adding that this is a path that all Africans should take.
The President stated that Africa’s strength is unity in diversity, stressing that; ” No country in the world is composed of one race or people. There is diversity everywhere in relation to race, colour, religion, gender, and economic status. What we have in common is our humanity. This cuts across all boundaries and should, therefore, unite us.”
Despite the turmoil and wars that have enveloped the continent, President Barrow reiterated that Africans must demonstrate patriotism, stressing that people should avoid repeating past mistakes by focusing on the present and future for a better Africa.
“I advise that we reflect further on what we could have achieved after so many years of Independence from colonial rule. How many years have we spent fighting one another, destroying our structures, and ruining our modest achievements?” he observed.
The President was accompanied by senior government officials including the Chief of Staff, Mod K Ceesay, and the Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr Mamadou Tangara. The President of the ECOWAS Commission H.E. Omar Touray was also present.
Other important guests also included H.E. Muhammadu Buhari, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and H.E. Umar Sissoco Embaló, President of Guinea Bissau.