President Lazarus Chakwera says treating African nations and nationals as second-class members of the global community is not acceptable.
Chakwera was speaking today in Lilongwe at BICC during the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit after assuming the Chairmanship of SADC.
The Malawi leader expressed concern over inequalities in the distribution and production of Covid-19 vaccines.
Chakwera said African countries are full members of the global community and time has come for Africans to insist that a vaccine that preserves and sustains a person’s basic right to life belongs to all nation’s no matter who discovered it.
“And now as the World faces the global health crisis that has killed millions, torpedoed economies, and disrupted social order, we as Africans have a moral duty to reject second class status in the distribution and production of Covid-19 Vaccines, vaccines invented and manufactured in labs where some of the scientists doing such work are Africans,” said Chakwera.
He added that Africans have a moral duty to refuse second class status in the participation in the United Nations decisions that affect the peace and stability of the world.
“So, the time has come for us to insist that Africa must have at least one permanent seat on the UN Security Council,” said Chakwera.
The Malawi leader also spoke against restrictions which are African countries are given by International monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank for managing Africans’ own resources and finances.
Chakwera called on African countries to come together in demanding the two institutions to reconfigure the terms and conditions they have imposed on African nations for decades.
According to Chakwera, the conditions have left African countries in deeper poverty than before.
The Malawi leader added that the SADC region should recognize that its truest friends in this World are not those who are satisfied to see people the region continue in poverty.
“Our truest friends in this world are those who work side by side with us on increasing our productive capabilities and turning out economies into engines for sustainable growth,” said Chakwera.
Chakwera has taken over the chairmanship of SADC from President Filipe Nyusi of Mozambique.
Malawi’s theme for its chairmanship of SADC is ‘Bolstering productive capabilities in the face of Covid-19 pandemic for sustained, inclusive economic and industrial transformation’.
I wish our own politicians would not treat us as second class citizens – corruption and all!