UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, received loud applause on Monday when he quoted a popular Akan proverb during his speech at the UK-Africa Investment Summit 2020.
Addressing African heads of states at the UK-Africa Summit 2020, the Prime Minister sought to woo African leaders for post-Brexit trade with Africa with his speech.
According to him, Britain should be the “investment partner of choice” for African countries.
His speech was never complete without chipping in the Akan saying: ‘Nsa tia nyinaa nnyԑ pԑ’ to wit ‘all fingers are not the same’.
The UK Prime Minister said: “The UK boasts a breadth and depth of expertise that simply cannot be matched by any other nation.”
“In the words of an old Akan proverb that I picked up in Ghana, ‘all fingers are not the same’,” he told all who were gathered at the summit.
While receiving the applause, he added, “There’s wisdom in these Akan proverbs; all fingers are not the same and all countries are not the same.”
WATCH:
The summit came less than two weeks before the UK is due to formally leave the European Union (EU), with Johnson hoping to convince African leaders and company executives to make Britain their “investment partner of choice,” while painting Brexit as a “new start” for the UK and trade with other nations.
The 16 leaders from 21 African countries in attendance included Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, and Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo.
