Former President Jerry John Rawlings yesterday brought the opening ceremony of the 5th Africa Cities Summit alive when he delivered a thought-provoking keynote address on the topic “The Global Crises, An African Perspective.” In front of a capacity 3,500 audience in the magnificent La Palais Congress in Marrakech, Morocco, ex-President Rawlings did not mince words when he said corruption and the failure of some African leaders to be nationalistic had led to Africa’s current economic predicament. Punctuated by intermittent applause from the excited audience, the former President said Africa’s “lack of national tenacity, accountability and a spirit of patriotic fervour” had made her vulnerable. He said Africa cannot complain about the negative effects of globalisation if it cannot improve its corruption ratings. “Corruption is a major drawback to any developmental process that our continent embraces. Some of us have created a culture of impunity that allows us a right to employ all manner of methods to fleece our countries of its resources. If we cannot improve on the corruption index each year, on what basis do we cry about the negative effect of the global economic crisis?” Former President Rawlings called for a concerted effort at decentralization and regionalization on the continent and said prescription by international financial institutions on the management of African economies had failed the continent.