In my remarks, I stressed that we, thus, cannot allow temporary poverty and under-development to be the narrative of Africa, a continent which is so blessed with natural and human resources.

We cannot allow our collective fate to be decided by exogenous shocks thousands and thousands of miles away. The time has come for Africans and persons of African descent to define our own narrative.

We must be defined by what we see in ourselves and not what others choose to say about us.

I can never get away from the oft-cited quote of that famous Jamaican Reggae artist, Peter Tosh, because it very much sums up who we are, and what our aspirations should be.

He said, “don't care where you come from, as long as you're a black man, you're an African.” Let us all remember that the destiny of all black people, no matter where they are in the world, is bound up with Africa.

Together, we must help make Africa the place for investment, progress and prosperity, and not from where our youth flee in the hope of accessing the mirage of a better life in Europe or the Americas.

We want to derive maximum dividends from our relations with the African Diaspora in mutually beneficial co-operation, and as partners for shared growth and development.