There have been nine attempted or successful coups d’état in Africa since 2020 with economic issues being the key driver in almost all of them.

The fear is that the thirst for military rule could dominate the continent as citizens cry for improved living conditions.

But the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II says regardless of the circumstances, military takeovers cannot be the solution.

Speaking at the St. Andrew University in Scotland, the Asantehene called on leaders on the continent to do more to address the needs of the people.

He noted that the resurgence of military dictatorships on the continent is a rather regrettable phenomenon, thus more must be done to halt the resurgence as it risks truncating the development of the continent.

“It is a regrettable phenomenon of the resurgence of military coups in Africa. Let me make it categorically clear that regardless of the circumstances, I do not think that military interventions offer the solutions at this point of our evolution as a continent,” he said.

The Asantehene is also unhappy that despite the abundance of natural resources, poverty rather than wealth defines the African. He challenged leaders on the continent to step up and fix what he describes as the scar on the conscience of the continent.

“There was a time when circumstances produced the notion that power flowed out the barrel of the gun. Those times are over and they create completely different circumstances now. The critical problems worrying Africans is the economy. From north to south, east to west and all those in the centre, the burden is the economy.

“It is how we ensure every citizen and every family has food on the table. It is how we create jobs for our young men and women so they can stay and serve their country. It is how we find resources to provide education and health care for our people. It is how we apply the intellectual gifts with which God has richly endowed us to improve the conditions we inherited,” he said.