Buhari says African leaders must speak with 'one voice' for continental integration

21 Octobre 2017

Abuja, Nigeria, October 21 (Infosplusgabon) - Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has said that African leaders must speak ‘with one voice’, independent of foreign influence, to achieve economic integration, development, peace, and security on the continent.

Speaking at a bilateral meeting with Guinean President Alpha Conde on Friday in Istanbul, Turkey, President Buhari said leaders should learn from history to effectively tackle conflicts, violent extremism, and proliferation of small arms and light weapons.

A statement by Presidential Spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu released on Saturday on the meeting said that the two presidents, who met on the margins of the ninth D8 Summit in Istanbul, exchanged views on bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.

President Buhari assured his Guinean counterpart, who is also the current Chairman of the African Union, that Nigeria would continue to strengthen its engagement with all AU member states to address current security challenges in restive areas such as South Sudan and Libya, and the political crisis in Togo.

In his remarks, Conde praised Nigeria’s leadership on the continent, particularly President Buhari’s great job on anti-corruption and his strong voice on African issues at the international stage.

The Guinean leader stressed the need for Guinea and Nigeria to accelerate economic cooperation, particularly in the natural resources sector, where Guinea boasts of 25 percent or more of the world’s known bauxite reserves.

FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/GFD/GABON 2017

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