Okyenhene Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin has stated that Western leaders and their economies cannot be absolved of complicity in the corruption that plagues the African continent.
He argued that some actions and inactions of Western leaders contribute to the persistence of corruption in Africa.
Delivering a lecture on the theme “Sustainable Leadership in African Governance” at the School of Management, University of Bradford in the UK, Okyenhene underscored how Western countries have become safe havens for corrupt African leaders and politicians to hide and enjoy their illicit wealth.
He expressed concern over the ease with which African leaders can deposit vast sums of money in foreign banks without facing scrutiny.
“If I walk into a bank today to deposit $15,000, the teller will report it to the bank manager, who will then inquire about the source of the funds. However African leaders have their way of depositing huge amounts in foreign banks without facing any probes. Why must it be so,” Okyenhene questioned.
He urged world leaders to scrutinize the investments and bank deposits made by African leaders in their countries, emphasizing that such scrutiny is essential to combat corruption and ensure transparency.
He stressed further that leadership is about service, quoting from the Bible: “Whoever wants to be great must become a servant… He came to serve, not be served.”
The Okyenhene also touched on the pressing issue of climate change, expressing disappointment with global leaders’ lack of concrete action to address the crisis.
He criticized leaders of the major carbon-emitting nations for failing to take meaningful steps toward combating the climate emergency, despite ongoing discussions at international summits.
“The leaders of great nations that contribute vast amounts of carbon to the atmosphere are not doing enough. They sit around tables, drink tea, and laugh, but there are no concrete solutions to the catastrophic climate change phenomenon,” Okyenhene lamented.
The world, he warned, is heading toward an environmental apocalypse, with the possibility of humanity perishing if urgent action is not taken.
He noted that scientists have warned that achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 is “too little, too late,” and suggested that stronger measures, such as net-negative emissions through carbon capture and storage, are necessary.
The Okyenhene shared alarming statistics, quoting research data that shows the global CO2 concentration in the atmosphere has risen to 419.2 parts per million (ppm), a 47.3% increase since the start of the Industrial Age.
He warned that if the current rate of emissions continues, by 2040, the air we breathe will contain more than 50% carbon dioxide, making the world uninhabitable for future generations.
“It is scary to think that the world will soon become uninhabitable, with an incredible impact on our children, leaving them with far shorter lives than today,” he said, adding that business as usual is no longer an option.
Touching on sustainable development and traditional African governance, Okyenhene reflected on the wisdom of indigenous African societies, which lived by what he termed the “Rule of Nature.”
He explained that before European colonization, African communities understood the importance of living in harmony with the environment.
He noted that early European settlers dismissed the indigenous knowledge systems of Africa as primitive because they did not align with European ideas of land ownership and commerce. “Indigenous people were considered ignorant because they had no desire to place the sources of their survival, such as natural resources, into the stream of commerce,” Okyenhene remarked.
He emphasized that the hazardous exploitation of Africa’s natural resources continues to threaten the survival of mankind and called for a shift in global leadership to address this danger. He urged world leaders to respect the planet and its natural resources and to adopt policies that prioritize the well-being of future generations.
Okyenhene reiterated the need for bold leadership and cooperation between nations to tackle corruption, climate change, and unsustainable development practices and warned that without urgent action, the world is heading towards a perilous future.
