President Uhuru Kenyatta advocates for stronger African States that can withstand crises, emergencies

President Uhuru Kenyatta has called for building of stronger States in Africa that can withstand crises and respond to emergencies.

The President made the call when he spoke on threats facing Africa, ranging from terrorism, epidemics and instability in many countries.

The President used his maiden speech at the United Nations General Assembly to make a passionate plea to the UN member countries to work together to solve problems facing the continent and other parts of the world.

President Kenyatta said the Ebola outbreak in West Africa showed that Africa needs to focus on making States stronger with stable institutions so that they have the ability to serve and protect people.

He said State weakness in Africa comes from a history of wrong development paradigms.

"We must commit to build resilient and accountable states that can effectively respond to shocks, adversities and emergencies in the future," he said

The President said the old development model used in Africa for the last five decades has failed because it heavily relied on development assistance.

He said it was driven by external prescriptions heavy on political instructions but light on economic and social transformation or benefit.

"We now know that our social and economic transformation shall come first from within our nations, our region and our continent and only second from the compliment of external ideas and resources," he said.

The President said the world cannot talk of a new era when hundreds of millions of people in the least developed countries are mired in poverty and diseases.

"I cannot emphasise this point enough. The scourge and shame of debilitating poverty, preventable diseases and chronic hunger must be erased from our global civilisation. In the development goals we have set ourselves, ....... a goal of 15 years to do so, we must not fail," he said.

President Kenyatta said the outbreak of ebola in West Africa, with devastating effects, was not just a health tragedy but also an economic and security threat to the continent.

"Nothing in the immediate future requires a more urgent and determined response from the international community than the effort to stop and contain this devastating virus," he said

The Head of State outlined his position on West Africa and stated that Kenya stands in solidarity with the countries affected by the epidemic.

He regretted many measures, including the suspension of international flights to Monrovia and other affected capitals, have further hurt the people and economies of the region.

"Our intention was not to do harm but, as a regional hub, the warning from the WHO left us few options. We now stand ready to resume Kenya Airways flights once appropriate measures are put in place," the President said.

He said Kenya recently donated $1 million (Ksh 87 million) to support the affected countries and was willing to offer more support.

The President welcomed the establishment of the United Nations Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) to guide a collective global response.

The President also spoke on security of the region and called for more efforts to support countries affected by wars.

"In Kenya, we are particularly concerned by the perennial fragility that has come to characterise the Greater Horn of Africa," he said.

The President said Kenya continues to sacrifice lives and resources in its effort to bring peace to Somalia.

"We do this trusting that the international community will stay the course in Somalia," he said.

President Kenyatta also sent a special appeal to the international community to work more closely with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) countries to solve the conflict in South Sudan.

"At this assembly, I make a special plea for South Sudan, for no nation has, over the years suffered as much neglect from the international community," the President said.

He said Kenya and other IGAD countries have invested considerable efforts to end the conflict in South Sudan but the progress has been slow.

"I implore the leaders of this young nation to demonstrate determined and enlightened leadership and to make peace without further delay. Such action will save the people of this nation enormous suffering, and offer hope of a better future," he said.

After delivering his statement at the UN General Assembly, President Kenyatta delivered another speech at the UN Security Council on combating terrorism and also addressed a high-level meeting on Somalia.