Ei-iE

"In unity is strength and in division is weakness."

That was the message from Irene Adanusa Duncan, EI Vice-President and President of EI’s African Regional Committee, in her opening address to a meeting of the African Regional Committee which took place on 26-27 March in Accra, the capital of her home country of Ghana. She was echoing the theme of the meeting which was "Uniting for stronger unions."

The opening session of the meeting was attended by approximately 80 people, including many international guests and observers as well as the Ghanaian Minister for Education. The attendees listened attentively to addresses by the Minister; by Joseph Ksaku Adjei, President of the Ghanaian National Association of Teachers (GNAT); by Fred van Leeuwen, EI General Secretary; and by special guest, Reg Weaver, EI Vice-President and President of the National Education Association (NEA) in the United States.

Each of the speakers, including the Minister, emphasised the importance of unions acting in concert if they wished to be effective. They emphasised need for unions in developing countries, in particular, to work together to achieve the goals of Education For All.

Van Leeuwen referred to the major programmes which EI was implementing in Africa in order to assist with the attainment of the EFA Goals.

Weaver gave a stirring speech on the value of unity and solidarity among workers in general and teachers, in particular. He illustrated his points with many entertaining but pertinent anecdotes and stories.

At the end of the opening session, participants were entertained by a local school choir which, in keeping with the theme, concluded its repertoire with a rousing rendition of “Solidarity Forever.”