Ghana’s president Nana Akufo-Addo is asking African citizens to eschew empty praise singing to political leaders if they want to contribute meaningfully to the development of the continent.

While he accepts praise singing as part of the cultural and entertainment ethos within Africa, the president said for any citizen to decide to use praise singing as a tool to officially assess a government’s performance, that citizen will be no better than a foreigner who distorts and demeans other people they write about.

The president made the comment at the 24^th international conference of the Pan African Writers Association (PAWA) held in Accra, Monday.

He reiterated that the rich African story has been told by people who are largely "unsympathetic" and urged African writers to imbibe the spirit of integrity in their write ups.

“When you write, what you write must have integrity,” he stated, adding, “when the integrity of the writer is compromised the library is indeed burnt.”

“There is no need for futile arguments along ideological lines…We have to get the people educated,” he pointed out.

The president chronicled a repertoire of great African writers including, Ola Rotimi, Ngugi Wathiong'o, Ama Ata Aidoo, Kwame Nkrumah, JB Danquah etc all of whom have influenced the African story with their write ups on literature, politics, drama, etc. 

According to the president, “education provides the fastest route out of poverty” and the writers are vehicles through which the education is made available to the citizens.

In his quest to engender an African beyond aid, Nana Akufo-Addo would rather have citizens who are brutally frank with each other rather than have those who will give empty praises to leaders.

For a continent rich in history and natural resources, the president said Africa must put away the cloak of poverty

Nana Akufo-Addo wants an Africa that depends no longer on aids and handouts but one that addresses its own problems with its own resources.

He paid glowing tribute to the late South African president Nelson Mandela and the contribution he made not just for the progress and independence of South Africa but for the entire development of the African continent.

Even though Mandela is dead, the president was quick to add that the videos, audios, books, written by Mandela and about him are still present and relevant for posterity.

He also applauded Thabo Mbeki for embarking on an agenda to save the rich documents in Timbuktu, an ancient city in Africa.

"Timbuktu represents African greatness and history of African scholarship,” he said, adding, “it is sad to boast about a rich past if the present generation is wallowing in poverty.”

He charged the present generation to work towards changing the narrative and putting Africa on a better pedestal.

The president thanked members of PAWA for honouring him, an honour he said was "totally unmerited but highly appreciated."