Kwesi Quartey (2nd L and INSET) welcoming Sarfo Abebrese, Chief Director of Operations Daniel Mundea (Zambia) and Director of Foreign Relations, Andile Mbeki (South Africa) to the A.U. Conference in Addis Ababa last year
Yesterday marked Founders’ Day in Ghana, and the Coalition of Supporters Unions of Africa (COSUA), which is a civil society organisation operating as a partner to the African Union (AU) to use sports to build African unity, used the occasion to call on the government of Ghana to go for the chairmanship of the AU Commission for the first time in the country’s history.
Speaking on GTV’s Breakfast Show to mark the occasion, the Founding President of COSUA, Lawyer Sarfo Abebrese, said Ghana’s leaders have led Africa over the years to achieve several laurels, and with only 30 days left for the nominations for this year’s AU elections, many Africans are counting on Ghana to take the mantle of leadership and restore Africa’s proud heritage.
He stated that the nation is presented with a unique opportunity to nominate the current Deputy Chairman of the AU Commission, His Excellency Kwesi Quartey, for the chairmanship position as COSUA officials in all the African countries have pledged their support for him to take the mantle of leadership from H.E. Faki Mahamat of Chad, who he said has disappointed the people of Africa through his sacking of the former AU Ambassador to the US, Her Excellency Arikana Chimbohori-Quao, who incidentally is a Ghanaian by matrimony.
Lawyer Sarfo Abebrese referred to a video conference his organisation had with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on July 23, 2020, in which 12 COSUA officials from eight countries affirmed their support for Mr. Quartey.
In an interview with Daily Guide Sports after the GTV programme, Mr. Abebrese, who is also an Attorney & Counsellor-At-Law of the New York Supreme Court in the USA, confirmed that COSUA is planning to mobilise about 1,000 members in each African countries to meet Ambassador Quartey on his campaign tour to the various countries of Africa and provide him with full support once he is nominated by President Akufo-Addo.
He was confident of victory, saying Mr. Quartey won the last elections with 45 out of the 55 votes from African heads of states, and with the sterling performance he has put up in these four years, Africa will be happy to retain him in office this time as the chairman.
“Ghana has headed the United Nations through the late Kofi Annan. We have headed ECOWAS under Mohammed Ibn Chambas. The one position we are yet to occupy is the chairmanship of the African Union Commission. There cannot be a more opportune time than now, when we are only one step away, and the entire continent is looking up to us for a sense of direction,” he stated.