The Senator representing Delta North at the Senate, Senator Ned Munir Nwoko has made a case for an African currency and a common language to unify the continent.
Speaking at a power room session, “The Africa We See,” hosted by Elevate Africa at Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, Senator Nwoko reiterated the need for an African currency and a common language and how these could transform Africa’s economic and cultural landscape.
“We don’t need the dollar, we don’t need euros. What we need is an African currency that will enable us to trade among ourselves,” Senator Ned Nwoko said.
He explained that relying on foreign currencies continues to limit Africa’s economic potentials and stifles trade between African nations.
According to chairman of Senate Committee on Reparations and Repatriation, a single African currency would make trade more efficient and empower the continent to stand stronger on the global stage.
Reflecting on Africa’s colonial history, the legal luminary noted that languages like English, French and German were imposed by colonial masters for their selfish gains.
However, the continent is home to many indigenous languages, such as Swahili, Hausa, Arabic, and Yoruba. Urhobo, Ibo, which are spoken across multiple countries.
“We’ve seen the effects of colonialism with languages like English, French, and German imposed on us, but we have rich indigenous languages like Swahili, Hausa, Yoruba, and Arabic,” he said.
He believed that adopting one of these languages as a pan-African language could strengthen unity and cultural identity.
Senator Ned Nwoko, however, noted that none of the above can be achieved without strong leadership.
