The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has called African countries to issue visa on arrival to African citizens.

Ghana is one of the few African countries where Africans are not required to secure a visa before visiting and are issued visas on arrival.

Speaking at a flag-raising ceremony to mark the 54^th anniversary of the Organisation of the African Unity, which is now the African Union, the foreign affairs minister said African countries have to do more to give meaning to the AU agenda.

"We fully subscribe to the onging intitution reforms of the AU under the able leadership of Paul Kagami, she said.

"The last 54 years with 54 independent countries has not been without its own challenges. Events from the continent have ranged from conflicts, chronic instability, poor governance, arbitrary rule and dictatorship, human rights abuse including genocide, widespread poverty, famine, droughts mass migration, outbreak of deadly epidemics like AIDS, ebola and complex humanitarian crisis," she chronicled.

Despite these challenges the Foreign Minister said the AU has been resilient in its commitment to fulfilling the aspirations of its founding fathers and the current generation.

"Our continental body stands to this day as a symbol of Africa's determination to forge ahead towards a prosperous and peaceful Africa, the Africa we want," she said.

She said at the heart of Africa Unity is the need for integration and good relations amongst members of AU.

"Our continued and relentless march towards integration should continue to provide the incentive for all African nations to overcome the intolerable contradictions between our abundant natural resources on one hand and the economic deprivation to which most african citizens have been subjected to," she said.

She reminded the various attendees of the flag raising ceremony of the benchmarks towards the attainment of the goals and vision of AU called on the AU members to strive towards the attainment of those goals.