African leaders warned against Western influences

Herald Reporter
Acting President John Landa Nkomo has war-ned African leaders against yielding to undue Western influences.
Presenting a lecture at the launch of the Research and Intellectual Expo in Harare yesterday, VP Nkomo said Africa must never accept being treated as a “third class continent with third rate citizens”, because African leadership should reflect true African values.
“The impact of Western leadership on our leadership will give birth to irresponsible leadership,” said Acting President Nkomo.
He said Western influences were generally destructive of African cultures and development.
The expo is the brainchild of the Higher and Tertiary Education Ministry and it celebrates local intellectual achievements.
Higher and Tertiary Education Minister Stan Mudenge said the initiative was a true reflection of the spirit of enterprise within Zimbabweans and it is the genesis of theory and seminal work, which will guide Zimbabwean scholarship and discourse.
“This Intellectual Expo marks the beginning of a new epoch in intellectual endeavour and it covers practically all the disciplines offered in higher and tertiary education,” said Minister Mudenge.
The expo is one of the strategic initiatives adopted by the ministry a year-and-a-half ago in response to challenges facing higher and tertiary education.
The committee is chaired by Professor Christopher Chetsanga and he is assisted by Prof Ngwabi Bhebhe, the Vice Chancellor of Midlands State University.
Another committee which looks into how to turn brain drain into brain gain is chaired by Dr Washington Mbizvo, the Secretary for Higher Education, who is assisted by Prof David Simbi, the Vice Chancellor of Bindura University.
The private-public partnerships committee is headed by Public Service Commissioner Tendai Bare, assisted by Prof Levy Nyagura – the Vice Chancellor of the University of Zimbabwe.
Said Minister Mudenge: “The committee for manpower and mobilisation has launched a website designed to capture the profiles of Zimbabweans in the Diaspora interested in participating in initiatives where skills would be required.”