Washington, July 10: In flip-flops, a faded old T-shirt and ragged trousers, Abraham Laeyea looked the image of Africa’s frustrating, dispiriting poverty.
“We like Obama,” he said. “We want him to come and rule all African countries. He brings hope but we need employment, jobs for the youth. Yes, we all have schooling as far as O-level here but then there is no work. People who have succeeded with business in this area move away.”
Abraham was among the young men standing in a crowded street beside an open drain in Jamestown, once a flourishing fishing village on the edge of the capital, now one of the city’s poorest areas. The seaside slum of shacks is home to thousands of people. Most make ends meet by casual labouring or by buying something – anything, a couple of batteries or a plastic key ring – and selling it for a tiny margin. Most eat once a day, if they are lucky.
These people represent the challenge that President Barack Obama is trying to address with a major policy speech today addressed not just to Ghana, but to Africa. He flew here straight from the G8 summit in Italy where promises were remade to help Africa reach the Millennium Development Goals in health, infant mortality and education. Ghana is one of the few African countries which might reach them.
–Agencies