Addis Ababa — The annual Adebayo Adedeji Lecture Series was launched during the joint ECA-AU March 25-31 Conference of Ministers of Finance, Planning and Development to commemorate the contribution of Professor Adedeji to development on the African continent through an annual discourse on contemporary issues that frame the former ECA Executive Secretary's vision.
"What everyone remembers is his contribution to the formulation of key ingredients that have remained our agenda - we are still trying to implement the same principles of the Lagos Plan of Action and alternative views of Africa's development," said current ECA Executive Secretary, Carlos Lopes in an emotional tribute to the Nigerian legend. "Being in his footsteps is not an easy task' he added.
He noted that holding the Conference of Ministers of Finance, Planning and Development in Nigeria and inaugurating the lecture series in Adedeji's honor also marks the contribution of Nigeria to ECA and Africa. "We will continue the work of Professor Adebayo Adedeji," he said.
In his remarks, former Executive Secretary, Issa Diallo recalled how Professor Adedeji, fondly referred to as 'Chief', accorded great importance to the Continent's integration. "It's been close to a century that panafricanists and intellectuals have worked with tirelessly to spread the idea of a united, indivisible and integrated Africa," he said.
According to Diallo, the founding fathers of African unity could not contain Africa's unity and stressed the need to teach the pursuit of that ideal to Africa"s youth. "The young must know that he or she may be a Berber, Moroccan Algerian, Maghreb; but above all else, human - Africa is one," he stressed.
He also stressed the need to educate young people and leaders alike, that Africa's integration is not an end in itself and that it should be understood as a tactical element of a strategic objective towards the creation of a united Africa. "Professor Adedeji is among those who pushed for and fought so that Africa's integration would be led by Africans," he said.
According to Diallo, integration cannot take place unless people know what is required of them. He concluded his emotional tribute by stating that had 'the Chief' been present at the launch, he would have said, "Issa, i had no idea you listened to me so closely."
Former ECA Executive Secretary, KY Amoako lauded Professor Adedeji for promoting panafricanism, regional integration and the African voice.
"The inspiration for the Assessing Regional Integration in Africa publication came from Adedeji and our initiatives on the African voice and the African position came from his vision," he said.
Amoako told the forum that the work by the ECA on governance emanated from Adedeji's popular participation vision and the African Governance Report (AGR) became a valuable avenue for the voice of Africa's civil society.
"Everything we have done and we continue to do comes from that great man. He inspired it, he fought for it," stressed Amoako.
The Chairperson of the African Union, Madam Dlamini-Zuma spoke of her admiration for Professor Adedeji for his stand on the Lagos Plan for Action. "In the review of the AU, Africa turned to Professor Adedeji and today, we still refer to the report made under Adedeji's leadership of the review process," she said.
She told the gathering that as Chair of the African Peer Review Mechanism, he was instrumental in the acceptability of the initiative. "He remains one of the finest sons of Africa's soil in terms of his intellect and his love for Africa; what he started must continue," she said.
Giving a vote of thanks, Adedoyin Adedeji welcomed the initiative and commended the forum for bestowing the honor of the lecture series on his father.
Moderated by Demba Diarra, of the ECA, the ceremony was graced by former Executive Secretaries, Issa Diallo and KY Amoako and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Madame Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
The lecture will be delivered annually, during the joint ECA-AU Conference of Ministers of Finance, Planning and Development.
Note to editors:
Professor Adebayo Adedeji (Nigeria) is a former Executive Secretary and Under-Secretary-General for of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) from 1975-1991. He is a renown advocate for self-reliance and African ownership of its development agenda. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and was also involved in the articulation of many key initiatives, including the Lagos Plan of Action (1980), the Final Act of Lagos (1980), the African Alternative Framework to Structural Adjustment Programmes (AAF-SAP, 1989) and the African Charter for Popular Participation (ACPP, 1990).
