_{Africa Diary — Volume 1, Issue 20 (November 11th-17 ’61) pg. 237-238; report by Ghanaian Times}

Accra — Ghana has offered a number of scholarships to Somali students to study in Ghana. This was stated in a joint communique signed at Accra by President Kwame Nkrumah and President Abdullah Osman on Oct. 21, at the end of the latter’s five-day visit to Ghana on the invitation of its President.

The Somali President, who was received by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, flew back to Somalia on Oct. 21. The two Presidents had a number of meetings during which they exchanged views on the relations between their countries and on the world political situation in general. Somali officials accompanying the President had also meetings with their counterparts in Accra.

In the communique, President Nkrumah and President Osman reaffirmed their faith and belief in African unity as the most reliable safeguard against neocolonialism and the balkanisation of the African continent. The communique said:

“The two leaders noted with satisfaction the statement made by the African leaders of East and Central Africa, who recently met in Tanganyika, on the importance of African unity and declared their complete and wholehearted support for the views expressed by these leaders.”

“They welcomed the concept of a federation of independent states in East and Central Africa and expressed the hope that it would be a strong basis for establishing the wider union of independent Africa which should be the ultimate goal of all regional groupings or associations.”

“With a view to strengthening the relations between their two countries, the two Presidents agreed on effective measures to establish such cooperation in the economic and cultural fields as would be of mutual benefit to the people of Ghana and Somalia. In particular, Ghana agreed to offer a certain number of scholarships to Somali students to study in Ghana.”

“Concerning outstanding frontier problems in Africa, inherited from colonial regimes, the two Presidents expressed the view that a political union between the independent African states would automatically make these obsolete, and that these problems provide a strong case for the early achievement of political union between the independent African States.”

Restoration of Links

“They however recognised the imperative need to restore the ethnic, cultural and economic links arbitrarily destroyed through the partitioning of Africa by the colonialists.”

“The two felt that the formation of such closer political ties would also allow each independent and sovereign and autonomous African State to make its contribution to the inevitable and irresistible march in a grand concourse towards the progress, development and welfare of the continent of Africa. With regard to current African problems, the two expressed” support for the efforts being made by the Central Congolese Government to secure the unity, independence and territorial integrity of the Congo.”

“They also expressed their deep shock and horror at the assassination of Prince Louis Rwangasore, Prime Minister of Urundi.”

“The two Presidents also declared their full support for the freedom fighters struggling for the liberation of their peoples in Angola, Mozambique, South West Africa, Algeria and other oppressed territories and expressed the hope that by December, 1962 colonialism would be completely eradicated from the face of the African continent.”

“The talks took pace in a cordial and fraternal atmosphere and revealed a close identity of views between Ghana and Somalia on the major political, economic and social problems which confront the African continent.”

“The two Presidents expressed their complete satisfaction with the results of the talks and President Abdullah Osman invited Dr. Kwame Nkrumah to pay a visit to the Somali Republic.”