UN General Assembly
2016

A universal push to transform our world depends principally on the mobilization of financial resources. The necessary financial windfall, capable of electrifying our continent, irrigating its fields, combating its endemic diseases, eliminating its hunger and promoting professional training, does exist. We see it every day in the capital markets and in the economic and financial press. Let us therefore act now. Access to development loans is the only response, and it will also help to relaunch the global economy with the necessary conditions for risk mitigation, good governance and the fight against illicit financial flows. Africa, my continent, is lagging behind in practically all the human development indexes. This same Africa paid a heavy price for its contribution to the development of other nations for centuries. But let us not dwell on the past; let us instead exercise common sense and be expedient. Africa is still a continent of opportunity for all, with its mineral resources, arable lands, forest, rivers and, above all, its youth.