The former Chief Executive Officer of the African Peace Support Trainers Association (APSTA), Colonel Festus Aboagye, has called on African nations to break free from the influence of their former colonial rulers.

According to the retired army colonel, even though the African countries are no longer being colonised, the influence of their former colonial masters continues to linger on in the continent.

He revealed that in certain countries, these former colonial masters still have a say in government matters, determining which cheques should be approved or denied, and even influencing contract decisions.

"I am referring to the Gbagbo experience, which was enough grounds for France to orchestrate to get rid of Gbagbo, so they are saying they are all telling us what all of us are aware of, but our leaders are shying away from it—the non-assistance."

He was speaking in relation to the role former colonial masters like France have played in their former colonies leading to raging anti-colonial and anti-France sentiments in countries particularly in the Sahel and the democratic government overthrows that have followed these demonstrations.

Speaking on the AM show, Colonel Aboagye emphasised that the reaction of the ECOWAS countries to the various government overthrows in the Sahel region have largely mimicked the actions of Western powers, further buttressing the impact these former colonial powers have on African countries.

He noted that the blanket sanctioning of these junta-led states have instead ramped up resentment against the regional body, inadvertently making the juntas even more popular.

He has called for more effective solutions to the challenges the region faces instead of the employment.

“If you read through the Accra initiative that was established in 2017, the whole principle is that we have a neighbor whose house is on fire instead of getting a bucket of water to assist.

“You sit in your country, establish a framework to change intelligence, and share information that does not address the threat you are facing,” he said.