My colleague, PD Lawton, creator of African Agenda-africanagenda.net, confirms in her insightful article below, what I have known for many years. The most important and fundamental human right, is the right to economic development. Without economic growth, human beings suffer and die. It is the lack of economic development in Africa that is the most serious human right violation. It is about time that all advocates of human rights recognize this indisputable reality. Through Ethiopia’s aggressive economic development policy, the government is addressing human rights more seriously than its attackers.
Lawrence Freeman is a Political-Economic Analyst for Africa, who has been involved in economic development policies for Africa for over 30 years. He is a teacher, writer, public speaker, and consultant on Africa. He is also the creator of the blog: lawrencefreemanafricaandtheworld.com. Mr. Freeman’s stated personal mission is; to eliminate poverty and hunger in Africa by applying the scientific economic principles of Alexander Hamilton
It’s great to know that Lawrence has such able and committed kindred spirits out there. It is also so refreshing and empowering to realize that there are many among us, individuals with integrity and goodwill in these complicated times. As to Dr. Abiye, he is indeed the leader we have been waiting for in our entire lifetime (if not our entire history) Strategic minded, brilliant, honorable, compassionate, articulate, humble, soldier and philosopher, generous. I could go on and on. He is indeed the true inheritor
of the continents’ pioneers search for African Unity. When East Africa gets integrated economically it will ignite the fire that will propel the rest of Africa to join hands and fulfill the dream. That will declare to the world that the black man has earned a place at the global round table. As Lawrence has tirelessly preached to the open hearted or those who believe in shared prosperity for years I will say “It is the economy baby!”