Immediate-past Presdient Goodluck Jonathan was a Special Guest and delivered the opening remarks at the Hope Global Forum in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
He spoke on Emerging Africa: Beyond the Headlines and he called on African countries to develop programmes and initiatives to empower the youths and women.
In continuation, the President went on his verified Facebook page to appeal to African leaders to stop relying on foreign aid to develop their economies.
He said: As I said during my opening remarks at the Hope Global Forums yesterday in Atlanta Georgia, “foreign aid can never help Africa grow its economy. It can only help you exist vegetatively”. All African nations need to come together to build unity and advance peace within the continent. Without peace, there cannot be development and without development we cannot fulfill the dreams of our Founding Fathers for political and economic independence. Economic independence is a target we must all aspire to, which in turn should lead us to the next level in the continuum of maturity, which is interdependence amongst Africans. GEJ.