S. African president upbeat about Africa's future

South African President Jacob Zuma on Saturday urged African countries to keep the "flames of hope," saying he was optimistic about the future of Africa where "prosperity and economic and social justice prevail."

He made the remarks at a leaders' meeting of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), ahead of the 25th African Union (AU) Summit to be held here on June 14-15.

Founded in 2001, the NEPAD is an implementing agency of the AU focusing on cross-cutting development issues on the continent including infrastructure development, capacity building and agriculture development.

Zuma said the agency was born in an era of a marginalized Africa, which was beset by political instability, economic challenges and Afro-pessimism.

"NEPAD has kept the dreams and potential of our continent alive. The continent is now reaping the benefits of responsible macro-economic management and deepening integration into the world," he said.

According to Zuma, Africa's economy was growing fast, because most of the countries on the continent "are being liberated from the shackles of poverty, and children are the recipients of the right education."

To succeed, he said, Africa must harness all its potential as a continent not as individual countries.

"That's why we're investing so much in time and money in infrastructure program, regional integration and intra-trade because we want to achieve sustainable growth and development," he added.

Zuma also listed the challenges facing Africa but said they were not insurmountable.

"Poverty remains a key challenge and widespread unemployment, especially among the youth, contributes to persistent inequality," he added. Endi