The Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mrs Emelia Arthur, has urged African leaders to move beyond slogans and adopt “capacity” as a core strategy.
She made the call on Thursday during a visit to the W.E.B. Du Bois Centre in Accra.
She challenged institutions to consider whether they are building an Africa that remains dependent or one that defines its own future.
“We must invest in our intellect, our industries, and our innovations,” she said.
Madam Arthur highlighted the deep connection between Du Bois and Ghana’s first President, Kwame Nkrumah, noting that Du Bois made immense contributions to the country’s political and intellectual landscape following independence.
Reflecting on her own academic journey, she shared how early encounters with Du Bois’s work have shaped her worldview. She noted that thinkers like him did not just describe Africa; they challenged the world to understand the continent on its own terms.
“The Centre is not just a place of remembrance. It is a place of reckoning. It compels us to ask ourselves what we have learned from our history and, more importantly, what we intend to do differently moving forward,” she said.
She also addressed the global conversation on historical injustices, referencing a recent United Nations resolution on reparatory justice for victims of the trans-Saharan and trans-Atlantic slave trades.
She emphasised that reparations must go beyond financial compensation, describing them as a process of restoring memory, dignity, and the right of African people to define their own identity.
The visit underscores the vital role of the W.E.B. Du Bois Centre as a research hub and museum that continues to shape national identity in an evolving global landscape.
Adwoa Koramah Anokye-Gyimah, ISD
