 Moving to other parts of Africa, today the 25th of May, the continents celebrate Africa Day, which marks the anniversary of the signing of the Organization of African Unity Agreement, which evolved into the present-day African Union. On that day, in 1963, leaders of 30 of the 32 independent African states signed the founding charter of the Organization Inadizibaba. Since then, the commemoration of the historic day by Africans at home and in diaspora has served us an opportunity for each country to organise events in order to promote the reportments between African people. Joining us live via Zoom from London is Paul Ejmer, a Global Affairs Analyst. Glad to have you, Mr Ejmer. Yeah, thank you very much, Elamidi. Now, this year's theme is centered on strengthening resilience in nutrition and food security on the African continent. Now, this is apt because the war in Ukraine over the past two months is already severely affecting the continent with their impact on food prices. What's the way forward? So, we have to really understand the context before we begin to talk about the way forward. You know, this war is just three months, so this is not Africa's problem did not start a year ago or two years ago. So, it is a question of leadership that is lacking because in your intro, you talked about the founding fathers of the OEU in 1963 and talked about, then it was 30 countries, now it's about 55 countries. That is good news. That is the colonisation, liberation that you like, and the struggle against apartheid and all that. But beyond that, the potential that Africa has has not been harnessed. It hasn't been tapped. Resources have been exploited and explored and taken out of the country. The leaders are part of it. They are stealing from the continent and then we're housing the looting. That is another thing. Looting and then we're housing them in foreign countries. And everybody is talking about Ukraine or Russia. But this is just three months. Africa has had wars and conflicts that have been raging for years. What has happened to them? So, I think this bad leadership or bad governance is not helping Africa and they shouldn't be. Otherwise, if Africa was, if the leaders were doing their job, they don't have the reason to begin to worry about what happens in Europe. How many thousands of kilometres away? You have land, you have resources, you have gold, name them, diamond, everything that you should harness. And then God has given you those resources. You should explore them and for the benefit of your people, not for individuals, because that is what the problem is. That is why Africa is now going with gold in hand and begging and hoping that we're going to impose Syria from Russia or from Ukraine. Don't you have land in other poor lands in Africa? What has happened to agriculture? So it is that institutional decay and corruption, bad leadership, and then leadership without vision that has cost Africa and put Africa where it is. And unless and until we have leaders that can move out of this, you know, put on their thinking cap, I think that, you know, there is no hurry. Probably many countries have been having political independence without economic independence. All right, Mr. Paul. Also top of the agenda is the escalated tensions and competition among China, Russia, and the United States and their non-African allies. Now, do you think this will impaired Africa's democratization? Well, when you leave your house, you know, without doing the necessary house cleaning, it becomes that the flies will come, all manner of people will come. So they have seen that there is resources in Africa and they have seen that Africa hasn't got leaders. They have seen that Africa, even though it has the resources, does not have that critical mass of those who will bring them together and mobilize them to benefit from the resources. That's why everybody is coming. Otherwise, why are they coming? If they don't have, they don't see anything to benefit from, they will not come. But how come that Africans themselves cannot are blind to the fact that others are now coming to exploit and pillage what they have on the continent? It's a sad story, unfortunately. But that is the situation. And I hope, I don't know if you pray, what the prayer can do, but prayer without work, it doesn't help. So leadership, that is the key. From national to the regional to continental. You find the AU chairman flying, going to Europe to go and make peace. When at home, there is fire. In Casamans, where the southern region of Senegal, where the chairman comes from, chairman of AU. You know, there is war. It's been on for years. And even in Ethiopia, Ethiopia that hosts the AU, there has been the problem of Tigre. And is it Mali? Is it Jimmy? Is it Bokina Faso? Is it Libya? Is it Somalia? All right. Thank you very much. Thank you very much for your contributions, Mr. Paul. Thank you very much. And this is corruption. And that is not what I think that that narrative has to change. Thank you very much, Mr. Paul. Thank you very much for your contributions tonight. Thank you for having me.